Eyes on Fire
by terrablaze
Summary: Life has been easy for the newly reformed Team 7 after the war. Not wanting to be left behind by her boys, Sakura shocks her teammates by joining ANBU, even against Kakashi's advice. But when a noble from another country sends a simple mission request, Team 7 and their friends find themselves becoming a part of a conspiracy that goes deeper than anyone thought. KakaSaku
1. Start

******~A/N: Well, hello there! Welcome to my story. This actually started out as an original piece I'd been working on, but I sort of hit a road block with it, and then, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I could tweak a few characters and plot things here and there and make this a fanfic so people could actually read it. Which is more fun. So here we are. I hope the characters don't seem to be OOC in the first few chapters. I really did try to make sure I didn't accidentally leave any of the old stuff from my original story, but apologies if I did. ****  
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**This is KakaSaku, but there will be other characters in here too. I like ensemble casts of characters, so I will enjoy using them :D **

**Also, this isn't really AU per say, but I am taking a few liberties. Like, I really like Jiraiya, and I totally want to write him in this story, so we're going to pretend that he's not dead. Also, I sort of have to make Sakura a little weaker than she maybe normally would be at this point in cannon in order for the plot to work out at the start of this fic. And for, you know, character development. However, as an end result, she may be stronger than she ends up in cannon, so who knows. ****  
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**As for spoilers...I'm not really sure. I'm up to date with the manga, but I'm probably not going to actively try to follow it. I may still reference things from it though, so just a heads up.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**W/ luv**

**~T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or anything, hence why I'm writing fanfiction and not, you know, the _actual manga_**

**One: Start**

Sakura wrapped her cloak tighter around her shoulders to protect herself from the cold breeze. It had been getting progressively warmer everyday, but she knew they still had a few more months before they would be saved by the warmth of summer.

As a kid, she'd always preferred the summer's heat. After all, it was hard to dislike a feeling that seemed comforting when the alternative was one that seemed to bite at you and drive you away. She wondered if Sasuke liked the winter as much as she and Naruto liked the summer. She figured he probably did.

Sai probably liked spring. It was all about new things and blooming, and Sakura thought that the former foundation agent would appreciate all that it meant. He had bloomed himself over the past few years. As for Kakashi…well she had no clue.

She sighed. It had been weeks since she had seen her former teacher. Not that she was complaining about the relative peace that they had, but she had gotten used to always being around her teammates and teacher. Sakura wondered what he did now that he didn't have to teach them anymore.

Team Seven had been reformed after the Fourth Great Shinobi War. It had taken some convincing, but she, Naruto, and Kakashi had made a pressing case to allow Sasuke back on the team, and much to their surprise, Sai had even pitched in, saying he thought they would make a great five-man squad.

It was unconventional, but then again, when had anything about Team Seven been conventional? Sometimes Yamato joined them on a mission, and despite the fact that they were supposed to be two teams of three, they acted like one big team of six.

They'd all grown pretty close over the years, close enough that Sakura hear rumors about her and one of the guys being together almost daily. She just shrugged them off though. Outsiders would never understand Team Seven and what it had gone though, so how could they possibly understand the bonds she shared with her boys?

Even Sasuke and Sai had lightened up—although the latter still had trouble figuring out what emotions were and the former still had trouble showing them. But she wouldn't change her boys for the world. Not even Sasuke, whom she was happy to say she no longer had a massive, irrational crush on. In a way, he had actually become her best friend, possibly even more so than Naruto. The blonde was sweet, but he was sort of an idiot. With Sasuke, you could at least have an intelligent conversation.

That didn't mean they still didn't fight. No, Team Seven wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, and they all had their own insecurities that came up every now and then.

Sakura frowned as she remembered the whole reason she was out in the cold on her day off at the hospital. She was going to see Ino and drag her away on her lunch break.

Now that the war was over, it seemed like the shinobi of the village didn't have much to do. Many ninja had taken to working around the village until a new mission came up in order to make enough money to live the way they were used to.

She loved the times of peace, _really _she did, but it wasn't exactly good for the ninja who didn't know how to do anything besides fight. Sakura was lucky enough no to need a job during her downtime because of her work at the hospital, but she knew she was just a special case. Even Sai had taken to selling some of his paintings for extra spending money.

Sighing again, she pushed open the doors to the Yamanaka flower shop and stepped inside to find Ino.

She didn't have to wait very long. The blonde-haired girl's face lit up the second her friend walked in the door.

"Dad, I'm taking my lunch now!" she called, not waiting for a reply and pulling Sakura out the door. Once they were outside, Sakura didn't stop, but instead just kept walking. Ino frowned. Something had clearly gotten her pink-haired friend all riled up.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Ino asked, when they finally came to a stop outside of one of the only village bars that was open during the day. "A bar?"

"I need a drink," was all that Sakura said before slumping down to order.

Ino raised her eyebrows, but didn't say anything. Her friend would tell her in good time. Smirking, knowing that her team would have a fit if they knew the girls were drinking before noon, Ino ordered a beer, noting that Sakura had ordered something much stronger.

"So do you want to tell me what this is all about?" the blonde asked asked, after asking the bartender if they could have some chips. She wanted something solid in her stomach if they were going to get wasted this early in the day.

"My teammates are idiots," her best friend growled.

"You're just now figuring that out?" Ino deadpanned.

Sakura shot her a look, and the blonde realized her friend was really upset.

"Okay, so what did they do?"

"They think I'm useless in a fight. I was redressing Sasuke's wound from our last mission when Sai said it's good that I'm a medic because everyone on our team gets hurt so much."

Ino nodded. Kakashi's team did seem to always come back with at least one injured member.

"Then Naruto made a crack about how it's only fair since I'm the reason he and Kakashi are always getting injured. Because they have to save me."

This time Ino winced, knowing how much of a sore spot her lack of fighting skills in respect to her male teammates was to Sakura. The medic wasn't lacking in physical strength, that was sure. She had been trained by Tsunade after all. But Ino knew when it came down to a battle of jutsus that her pink-haired friend could sometimes struggle.

"It's Naruto," she tried to soothe. "You know he always says things like that. He doesn't mean it."

Sakura shook her head. "It's not that. It's their eyes. I mean, we all knew it was a joke, but the thing is, I could see it in their eyes, even if they wanted to hide it. They all think I'm a hindrance in a fight."

She looked depressingly into her shot glass. "The only reason they even keep me around is because of my healing."

"Stop it. It is way to early in our binge drinking session for you to be this depressing!" Ino scolded before signaling the bartender to bring them something stronger to drink.

"Now," the blonde girl said, turning back to her friend. "You are an amazing medic—the best in the entire world behind Lady Tsunade probably—and there is absolutely no reason why anyone wouldn't want you on their team. Hell, I wish you were on mine!"

"You don't even have a real team," Sakura muttered, before she realized what she said.

"Oh geez. Ino, I didn't mean—"

Her friend shook her head. "It's okay. It's true. Ever since Asuma-sensei died, even though we have the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, we still don't get to work together all that often." She fixed the pink-haired medic with a stare. "You don't know how lucky you are to have them."

Sakura sighed. "I know. Believe me I know. I love them more than anything in the world. They just frustrate me so much sometimes. But it's my fault. I guess I just don't want to get left behind."

Ino put a hand on her shoulder. "You won't. You keep up with them in your own way."

"Yeah. You're right. So what about you?" Sakura asked. "After all, you are drinking with me, and it's not even noon yet."

"I don't know," she mumbled. "It's kind of dumb."

"Nothing's too dumb to tell your best friend over drinks in the morning," Sakura teased.

"Fair enough. Just…promise you won't judge okay? I really just miss my old team, my guys. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad we're at peace and we don't have to fight anymore, but…well I miss everyone. I don't have a team all the time, so unless something big comes up I won't be sent out on missions, and since Shikamaru's gone all the time, we don't train that much. But that's not exactly something to get plastered about."

"What's Shikamaru doing all the time?" Sakura asked. "He's so lazy I didn't think he'd _volunteer _to take any of the few missions we get now."

"It's not missions. Come on, Sakura, everyone knows he and Temari are basically _married. _He travels back and forth between here and Sand a lot."

"Oh, Ino," Sakura said, remembering a time a few years back when her friend had confessed to falling for her brown-haired teammate.

"Um, well, about that," Ino said, looking down at the table guiltily. "I may have, sort of, lied to you about liking Shikamaru."

"Ino?" Sakura questioned, and from her tone, Ino knew she wasn't getting out of it. "Just, don't laugh at me okay?"

"Okay."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Well, I sort of really like Choji."

Sakura was surprised for a few moments before she broke out into a huge smile. "That's great! Choji's such a sweetie. You two would be adorable together!"

Ino blushed, much to Sakura's surprise. Her best friend had never been one to be shy. "Do you really think so?"

Sakura smiled. "Even better. I know so."

Ino squealed and wrapped her in a tight hug.

"I do miss everyone though," Ino said. "The Konoha 12, and even all the friends we made in other villages. Sometimes I feel really sad about it too, but then I feel silly getting all depressed about it when there are people dealing with far worse things."

"To each their own," her companion shrugged. "I think it's very valid. Here you got so used to the camaraderie of fighting alongside everyone, and now that it's all gone, you miss the interaction. A lot of soldiers go through this after returning home from war. You know, if you need to talk to someone, I'm sure I can set something up at the hospital."

Ino waved her off. "Nah, it's not that bad. I can just talk to you like this if I'm feeling especially moody. But I think you're right. A mission probably would cheer me up."

"Maybe you should talk to Tsunade. I'm sure she'd find you something."

"Maybe," Ino mused, then became silent.

Sakura was quiet too, toying with telling Ino the idea that had been running around in her head for the past few weeks. "I was actually thinking that a solo mission would be good for me, but since I'm not ANBU, I can't take one."

"Those are really dangerous," Ino said, looking up from her drink. "Are you sure you're okay? The boys didn't say something worse, did they?"

"No, it's just something I've been thinking about," Sakura reassured her friend.

"Going on a solo mission?"

Sakura nodded.

"You mean you want to join ANBU?" Ino couldn't help her shock, but she knew her best friend well, and she knew this was exactly what she meant.

But ANBU had to go through some intense training, and almost all of their missions were so top secret that they were classified.

"It's just something I've been considering," Sakura said defensively. "I mean, before Lady Tsunade trained me I was taught by Kakashi, and _he's_ ANBU."

"Yeah, and he's like thirty-something. You're nineteen!"

"I know my own age," Sakura grumbled.

"That's not my point!" the blonde exclaimed, causing the other patrons in the bar to look their way as she slammed her fist down.

She lowered her voice when they looked away. "Joining ANBU is dangerous. You're still young. Don't you want to be able to hang out with your friends and go on dates and things like that too?"

Sakura snorted. "Ino, the only people I hang out with are the Konoha 12. And dates? Do you realize who you're talking to?"

"Don't start that," Ino said, knowing that her lack of a love life was something that secretly bothered the pink-haired medic. "You're gorgeous and any guy would be lucky to have you."

Sakura gave her a look. "I'm the second strongest person in this village in terms of physical strength. No guy is going to want to date a girl that can kick his butt in a fight. But that's not what this is about. I want to prove myself too."

That was something Ino certainly understood.

"I can't say I like the idea of you being gone all the time," she whispered. Despite their little rivalry when they were younger, the girl was still her best friend.

"I never said I was going to do it for sure, I just said it was something I was thinking about," Sakura reassured her friend. "And don't worry. It's not as if I'll just disappear someday. If I ever decide to go through with this, you'll be the first to know."

"Bitch, I'd better be," Ino grinned. It turned into a full-fledged smile that ran across her face a few seconds later when she saw the corner of Sakura's mouth turn upward into her signature crooked half-smile.

"You know, aren't you normally the one comforting me at a bar?" Ino asked as they drained the last of their drinks and finished off their chips.

Sakura shrugged. "Well, you know how these girl talk things go."

"Oh, there you are!" a high-pitched voice broke in. The two turned around to see Hinata at the entrance to the bar make her way over to them.

"Naruto's freaking out. He thinks you're really mad at him for what he said about your fighting. He didn't mean it and he's really sorry. I know he's a total idiot, but—"

"Tell him not to worry about it," Sakura said, waving her had to cut off the dark-haired girl's explanation. "Seriously. I'm not mad about it. I just overreacted. I've been stressed out being back working in the hospital again. Seriously, he shouldn't let it bother him."

"Oh good." Hinata looked relieved, and Sakura couldn't help but smile as she thought about how far the black-haired girl had come. Even Naruto had begun to notice. She imagined it was only a matter of time before they got together.

"So you want to go shopping or something?" Ino asked, looking at the two girls.

"I'd love to, but I really think I should go back and tell Naruto that Sakura isn't mad at him," Hinata said, pressing her index fingers together.

"As tempting as that offer is, I'm going to have to take a rain check today. I need to find Kakashi anyway. I've got something I want to run by him."

Ino narrowed her eyes at her friend, but Sakura didn't offer any further explanation, and with Hinata there, Ino didn't want to ask. She was pretty sure she knew what Sakura was thinking though.

"I'd love to take you up on that offer another day though!"

Ino laughed. "Well the offer still stands. Let's go Hinata. We can stop by Naruto's on the way to the shops.

"I'll catch up with you guys later, alright?" Sakura waved as her friends left the bar.

Ino nodded. "Yeah. See you later."

Sakura stood up not too long after the others left. She'd ended up ordering one more shot. After all, she felt she could use the liquid courage if she was really going to ask Kakashi about ANBU and go through with her plan.


	2. Stirring in the Wind

_**~A/N: Oh hey **_**_guys! I just wanted to say real quick, this is a KakaSaku, but there's not going to be any Sasuke bashing going on here. I realize he does make a pretty good antagonist for KakaSaku fics, but I really love him (and I actually like the SasuSaku pairing in cannon even though it will not appear here) so yeah, there's no Sasuke hating here. Just thought I'd make that clear from the start. _**

**Two: Stirring of the Wind**

Tsunade tapped her fingers nervously on the desk, while Jiraiya stood silently looking out the window. How she had even managed to become Hokage over her white-haired friend, she would never know. Sure, she was probably smarter, but when push came to shove she couldn't really say that she was more reliable than Jiraiya.

"It's not my thing," Jiraiya murmured, without looking over.

"Huh?" the blonde asked, realizing she had spaced out looking at her friend.

Jiraiya turned to face her. "I was just thinking. Being in charge. It's not my thing. You're far better suited for leading people than I am."

Tsunade smiled. Somehow her old teammate could always read her like a book. Although preferably not like the kinds of books he wrote, even though she knew better. She'd forced Kakashi to tell her once when she got the suspicion that Jiraiya had modeled one of the heroines after her.

"Yeah, but you're still more reliable than me."

Jiraiya snorted. "Well that's always been true, yet you've always been the one to lead us. Doesn't mean I won't still be here as your right-hand man. Nothing will ever change that."

"Good," Tsunade sighed. "I'm not sure how well this desk would treat me if I had to deal with it all by myself."

Jiraiya resumed looking out the window, his hands folded behind his back. "I'm sure you would manage."

"I don't know," Tsunade said, leaning back and kicking her feet up. "I think it would be pretty rough."

"I didn't say it wouldn't be."

She smirked, feeling bold and deciding to mess with him a little. "Shizune has this habit of hiding my sake from me. What would I do without you there to find it for me? I'd be lost without you baby."

Jiraiya could hear the smile in his friend's voice. He was about to make another joke when he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," Tsunade called, frowning because they weren't expecting anybody. None of their agents were out on recon missions, so she wasn't waiting for any reports.

Jiraiya raised a questioning eyebrow at her, but Tsunade just shrugged as one of the guards led an unfamiliar man into the room.

It was no one from the village, Tsunade was sure of that. The man's face was one she would have remembered, with sharp features and upturned eyes. Long blonde hair tied in a low ponytail cascaded down his back, and he was dressed quite well. Too well to have been from a village of shinobi, the Hokage decided.

Knowing Jiraiya would have already come to these conclusions, Tsunade stood to great the stranger.

"Welcome. I am the Hokage, Tsunade. May I ask what your business with me is? I do not recognize you as being from around these parts."

The man before her bowed. "You are correct, milady. I am a messenger from Lord Sasaki of the Land of Silver. He has a request to ask of you. I can assure you that milord will make it worth your time to read."

Tsunade exchanged a glance with Jiraiya, but reached forward to take the Lord's letter. She held it out so Jiraiya could scan it over his shoulder. If this surprised the messenger, he didn't show it.

"There's been rebel activity up in the Land of Silver?" Jiraiya asked as soon as he had finished the letter. "But that region's been stable for years."

The toad sage would know, Tsunade thought. No one had traveled the land as extensively as he had.

The messenger nodded. "That is what has milord so troubled. For hundreds of years, the Land of Silver has enjoyed peace, but lately there have been many attacks—"

"Attacks? Lord Sasaki didn't mention those in his letter!" Jiraiya exclaimed, and Tsunade had to force herself not to hit him over the head. Better the messenger didn't know that.

It was too late now; the messenger realized his mistake and clammed up, refusing to elaborate when Tsunade asked him for details on the attacks that he'd mentioned.

"So what, Lord Sasaki wants us to send an army to fight for him then?" Tsunade asked, rubbing her temple.

"No, Lady Hokage. Milord wishes for you to send a team to investigate. He believes that this rebellion has been started by someone from within the Land of Silver itself, and thought that a team of your shinobi would be able to infiltrate the city and discover the rebels' identities."

"Hm," Jiraiya said, pursing his lips together in concentration. "You want someone who can gather intel without it being traced back to the royal family, is that right?"

"That is correct, sir."

"Very well, I will consider your request. I just need time to deliberate with my advisers before I make any final decisions," Tsunade said. "You will have your answer by tomorrow. I will have a room prepared for you."

"Thank you, milady," the messenger said, bowing again, before leaving the room.

As soon as the door was shut, Jiraiya turned to Tsunade. "I don't like this."

The blonde sannin raised an eyebrow.

"This sounds complicated," Jiraiya continued. "That region has been at peace for centuries, so why would it suddenly start getting volatile now after the war? I have a feeling if we get involved in this, we're going to end up getting ourselves sucked in."

"It's just a simple recon mission. One of our ANBU officers could handle it alone. It's hardly anything to worry about. Besides, I know some of our top ninja who are starting to get a little restless."

Jiraiya ran a hand through his hair. "There's something about this mission I still don't like, but you're right. One ANBU could handle this. And if it comes back that something more is going on, then it's not our problem."

"Unless we want it to be," Tsunade said. "It's good money, Jiraiya. You know as well as I do that the Land of Silver is loaded. And with all the damage and rebuilding we've had to do here over the past few years, we could use the extra resources."

"I suppose you're right. Well, who were you thinking of asking to take the mission?"

* * *

It didn't take Sakura long to make the trek over to Kakashi's apartment. After years of training with him, she knew where he lived. They'd often gone back to his place when Team Seven was younger after a particularly hard training session if they had small injuries that needed to be treated, since he lived close to the training grounds.

She knocked on his door, not entirely sure if she expected him to be home or not. She didn't exactly know her former teacher's habits outside of being late and reading Jiraiya's dirty novels, but she wasn't sure there was much else he liked to do besides read and fight.

A few moments later, the door opened. Sakura could tell he was surprised to see her.

"Sakura? What's up?" he asked, looking down at his former student with surprise. She wasn't one to actively seek him out if there wasn't something going on.

"Nothing really," she said. "I just hadn't seen you in a couple weeks and I had a question I was wanting to ask you."

"Okay, here, let me grab my jacket and we can go for a walk."

Sakura waited outside as he disappeared for a few seconds before coming back with a coat and two scarves. He draped one around her shoulders before wrapping the other around his neck.

"You looked cold," he said. "Now what did you want to talk to me about? If it's about your training, I really don't think there's much more I can teach you about using chakra control to come up with your own technique. You're better at it than me already," he added with his signature eye smile.

"Well it's sort of about my training," Sakura started. "You see, I feel like I've been getting really out of practice lately."

Kakashi nodded. "Yeah, I guess I haven't really been around. Sorry about that. You guys go from not being able to get rid of me for the past seven years to not seeing me at all. We can go spar sometime at the old training ground if you and the boys feel up to it. Knowing you four, you'd beat anyone else who you tried to train with."

Sakura smiled. "Even the ones who joined the ANBU Black Ops?"

Kakashi frowned, and when he didn't say anything, Sakura began to wonder if bringing it up had been a bad idea.

"No. Even you aren't that good," he said softly.

"Oh."

He looked down at her, a strange look on his face. "What makes you bring up ANBU?"

"Nothing, I was just curious if I'd be as strong as them."

"No."

Sakura couldn't help but be offended at how quickly he'd answered. But maybe he meant she just wasn't strong enough at her current level.

"Not yet?" she asked, hoping for clarification.

He nodded. "Yeah, not yet."

"But someday? Someday I'll be strong enough to join them?"

His eyes narrowed. "Maybe someday. Why the sudden interest?"

Sakura glared at him. "I'm just asking! Geez, what's with you today?" She almost felt bad. After all, she hadn't seen him in weeks, but then she remembered that he probably had better things to do than spend time with his old student, so she should be grateful that he'd even bothered to talk with her.

Kakashi sighed. "I'm sorry. I guess I've just been sort of tense lately with all this peace."

She couldn't help the smile that came to her lips. "Yeah, I totally get it. It's not that I'm not happy we won or anything, but it's sort of hard to come back to. It's like I don't know what to do with myself when I'm not fighting or training."

Something about her words struck a pang in his chest. She was nineteen. There was plenty for her to do besides fight and train, even if she was a ninja. He wondered, not for the first time, if he'd ruined her life that day he'd agreed to take her on as his student. If he'd ruined all their lives by pushing them too hard and never letting them have the time to do normal things and make normal connections with normal people.

"Kakashi? Kakashi!"

He realized he'd been spacing out and Sakura had been calling his name.

"Sorry, what?"

"I was asking if you were still with us," Sakura laughed. "Guess you weren't."

He smiled. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

"About what?"

He waved her off. "Nothing of importance."

She frowned. "Oh, okay."

They walked in a comfortable silence for a few more blocks, waving to the fellow shinobi that they recognized, but never stopping for conversation. They were almost a mile away from his apartment before Kakashi remembered she'd said she wanted to ask him something.

"Sakura? Wasn't there something you wanted to ask me?"

She fidgeted under his gaze. "Well, it's not really that important."

"Come on, spit it out. You've never been shy before."

"I was just curious about ANBU, that's all," she said quickly. "After all, you were in them before you started training me, right?"

His eyes narrowed again, and Sakura got the feeling that he wasn't happy about the question. "Why the sudden interest?"

She threw her hands up in the air. "I don't know! Maybe because I spent basically every day of the last seven years either fighting you or fighting with you, but I don't really know a thing about you! And the Black Ops came up in conversation today and I was just curious, that's all."

She was mad. Kakashi could be difficult, even on good days, but he was never this angry about it. Most of the time it was all done in teasing, but with the way he was acting, Sakura kept getting the feeling that she'd done something wrong.

"Don't you have better things to do besides ask your old sensei about his past? Come on you're nineteen," he said, trying to change the subject.

"Despite what everyone seems to think today, I _can _remember my own age," she snapped.

"Then don't you? Come on, surely you've got friends to go hang out with, boys to go on dates with? What are you doing hanging around me?"

Sakura looked at him like he was a total idiot. "I spent all of my adolescent years being trained by you and Lady Tsunade, when do you think I had time to make friends or date boys?"

Kakashi was taken aback by her words. He'd never really thought of it that way. Sure, they'd trained a lot, but he and Tsunade hadn't really ruined her life _that _much, had they?

"Come on, you've never been on one date?"

She glared at him. "If you have to know, then no. I haven't."

"Not even one?" At first he'd been teasing, but now he was honestly shocked. After all, he'd seen the looks she got when they walked through town.

She shook her head. "Not one. Ino told me once that most of the boys were too afraid of you to ask me out when I was younger, and then ones who did finally work up enough courage later were too scared of Tsunade."

Kakashi frowned. Maybe he really had been too hard on her when she was a kid. But she didn't seem to resent him for it.

_Maybe that's because she doesn't have any idea what she missed out on. _

Maybe she didn't know she was supposed to be mad that she missed out on all of those things. And that made him hate himself even more.

It convinced him all the more to make sure she was kept off of missions for awhile so she would have a chance to see what it would be like to live the life of any normal shinobi in the village. She wouldn't have to be constantly fighting. She could go months without taking an assignment. She could go out with her friends, find a nice guy, settle down.

Yes. He was all the more convinced that he would never let her do something like join ANBU, because he had been sure that was where this conversation was headed.

"Kakashi? You're spacing out again."

"I'm sorry."

She laughed. "It's okay."

"No. I mean, about everything. I'm sorry. I should've let you experience more when you were younger, instead of just training all the time."

"It's alright. It's not like we really had a choice. We had Itachi and Orochimaru and the Akatsuki to deal with, and then there was a war going on. None of that was your fault."

"I guess you're right," he said, unconvinced, but wanting to let the subject drop.

"Looks like I'll have lots of free time now," she said brightly. It was too bright, and Kakashi knew she was faking it.

He ran a hand through his hair. "It sure looks like it."

She bit her lip. "It's not like I want another war or anything, but I don't really know what to do with myself now."

"I know the feeling. Maybe some easy missions will come up."

"Yeah," she mused, "maybe. But since Sasuke's still injured and Tsunade is convinced that Naruto needs to start learning how to be Hokage so she can retire"—with Jiraiya, Sakura wanted to add, but she'd been sworn to silence—"we probably won't get a mission any time soon."

"Cheer up. We're a village of ninja. Something's bound to come up sooner or later. The world can't stay peaceful for too long, you know."

She grinned up at him. It was a true, genuine smile. "We're awful."

He smiled back. "I simply prefer to think we appreciate the different things in life."

"You know," she said, trying to hold back a smile, "you could also say murderers appreciate the different things in life."

Kakashi raised his hands in a defensive position. "I'm just pointing out that our definition of fun may not be completely rational."

"I'll say. Race you back to your place?"

"You're on."


	3. Opportunities

**Three: Opportunities**

Sakura frowned as she left Kakashi's. She'd wanted to gauge his reaction to her if she asked him to train her if she joined ANBU, but she left with the distinct impression that he would have no part in it.

In fact, he had all but told her she wasn't up to the task as she was leaving. He hadn't come out and said it, but her former sensei had made it perfectly clear that he didn't think ANBU was the place for her.

But why not?

ANBU needed medics. In fact, they probably needed medics more than any of the other teams. And she was certainly qualified in that regard. Hell, she was a jonin. They all were. After the war, all of her friends had gained that status. She snickered, remembering that Sasuke and Naruto had technically skipped being chuunin.

The thought cheered her up, and she pushed Kakashi's reluctance out of her mind. He probably just had a hard time seeing her as not the twelve-year-old girl he had to baby when he thought of her doing something as crazy as joining ANBU. He'd get over it.

They'd all become closer after the war—even their old sensei—so Sakura knew he didn't think she was weak. Far from it. If anything, he was the one who thought she was the strongest.

She sighed, thinking of a conversation they'd had years ago.

_Team Seven—_all_ of team seven, including Yamato—had been out drinking, and Naruto had unwisely challenged Sakura to an arm wrestling competition. He had soundly lost, but had gotten over his defeat and quickly and was currently trying to get Sasuke to wrestle him next. _

"_And here you always thought _I _was the weak one," Sakura snickered, sliding in next to Kakashi to let Sasuke take her spot on the stool across from Naruto. _

_Her old teacher looked at with a strange expression. Sakura couldn't quite read it. "I never thought that."_

"_Oh yeah?" she teased, keeping her tone light despite his sudden seriousness. "Then why'd you like totally ignore me as a kid?"_

_Kakashi's eye narrowed, and she knew he was thinking. _

"_I'm just joking," she said, slapping his shoulder. "We both know I was a little bit hopeless at that point in my life."_

"_Well," he said, his voice lighter already, "I'd maybe say more than a little."_

"_Hey!" She slapped him in mock outrage, but couldn't help her own laughter when she saw his signature eye smile. _

_His face grew serious again, and he turned back to her. "Sakura, I never gave you the attention I gave the boys because I knew you didn't need it." He shrugged. "You didn't need me. You were stronger than that." _

_She frowned, wanting to point out that no, she probably _had _needed the attention, because she'd been pretty useless in her genin days, but she figured it would have ruined the moment. _

_Besides, she appreciated the sentimentality. Kakashi may have been out of his element as a genin teacher—there was a reason, she assumed, he had never taken another team—but he had tried his best to teach them in his own way. _

Sakura flashed back to the present, smiling again. In a roundabout way, it had worked. She'd been left behind on the original Team Seven, and that had only served to motivate her to work even harder than ever before with Tsunade.

It was the same thing that was keeping her going now. Kakashi would get over his hesitation about ANBU. The boys would be surprised at first, but they would support her and understand why she needed to do this.

Reassuring herself that she was solid in her decision, she made her way to Hokage Tower to talk with her former mentor.

* * *

"You asked to see me, Lady Hokage?"

Tsunade looked up from the information Lord Sasaki's messenger had given her. She and Jiraiya had spent countless hours pouring over it, but there was nothing that stood out to the two remaining sannin.

"Yeah, an hour ago," Jiraiya mumbled, but Tsunade ignored him.

"Yes. Come in, Kakashi."

The silver-haired jonin shut the door quietly behind him, wondering what this was about. As far as he knew, there hadn't been anything to disturb the peace that still held between the villages of the former Allied Shinobi Forces.

If he were honest with himself, he thought that peace would hold until long after Naruto was Hokage, since that kid had been the catalyzing force behind everyone's friendship. Yes, as long as Naruto and Gaara were around, the chances of peace were much higher.

Tsunade looked at him for a long time, appearing to study him. Kakashi was starting to get uncomfortable, but she soon turned her gaze elsewhere. Namely, to the paper in front of her that Kakashi could only assume contained the details of a mission.

"Three weeks ago," the Hokage started, fixing him with her intense stare again, "you put in your request to take ANBU missions again."

"Yes, Lady Hokage."

"Despite the fact that we are at peace, and there really is no need for you to take any of these missions."

"Yes, Lady Hokage."

"Cut the crap, Kakashi. There are plenty of ANBU Black Ops willing to take the missions that we have, so there is no real reason for you to feel like taking these missions again is something you have to do." Her voice grew quieter. "We're at peace Kakashi. Don't you think you've earned a little peace?"

"That's just it!" he said, a little more urging than he normally would have liked in his usually stoic voice. "We've got the peace that we all fought so hard for, that I was willing to die for, and that's great, but now that we've got it, I don't know what to do with myself.

"I was a child during the Third Great War, Tsunade! A child! And given my past…" He trailed off, but nobody spoke. It wasn't like the Copy Ninja to openly discuss the people he'd lost.

"Well, let's just say that peace is never something I've known how to deal with."

"Then learn," Tsunade urged.

She knew she was out of line here, showing favoritism to the white-haired ninja, but she couldn't help it. He was Jiraiya's student's student, and the student of her predecessor. And he'd always been one that she knew she could count on during her time as Hokage. She couldn't help it if she had a special liking for the Copy Ninja.

"Tsunade." Jiraiya laid a hand on her shoulder. "Sometimes a man just needs to get away. Not all of us were made to be cooped up here, you know."

She turned to Jiraiya, focusing on the far away look he was getting in his eyes. Had he felt like Kakashi? Was that why her fellow sannin seemed to understand?

She sighed. "Alright. I'm putting you back on the ANBU duty roster. Here is your first assignment."

Kakashi frowned as he looked over the scroll that was handed to him. His eye met Jiraiya's questioningly.

"The Land of Silver?" He was surprised to hear that they were having any sort of problems. After all, it was the one land that had never found itself getting embroiled in any of the Great Wars.

"That's why this is so troubling," Jiraiya said. "Why would they start having trouble now, after the war and when everything is finally at peace?"

"You think something more is going on here." It wasn't really a question.

"Yes," Tsunade said. "And we want you to check it out. This would be a simple recon mission. Just information gathering. Find out what the royal family requested, then report back to me."

"Yes, Lady Hokage." He turned for the door, but was stopped by the sound of her voice.

"And Kakashi?"

"Yes, Lady Tsunade?" he asked, turning back to face her.

"Be careful."

He nodded. "Of course."

Tsunade laid her head down on her desk as soon as he left.

"It's not a dangerous mission, you know." Jiraiya said, moving behind her to massage her shoulders.

"I know," she sighed. "I'm just worried about him. I just wish he'd stay put and be safe for a while. I suppose I'm just like him with his teammates in that regard."

"Yeah, well, you're not the only one," Jiraiya said. "Let me talk to him. I think I know a few things to say to the boy."

* * *

Sakura knocked on Tsunade's door, quietly at first, afraid she would be disturbing something. That had happened once before, and Sakura decided that was a site she never needed to see again.

"Come in!" Tsunade called, sounding surprisingly sober for that late in the day.

"Shishou?" Sakura asked, hesitating before walking over to her desk. She was suddenly nervous to give Tsunade her request.

"What is it, Sakura? Spit it out! You've never been shy with a request for me before. I assume that's why you're here?"

"Well, I do want to ask you something…"

Tsunade waited. "Yes?"

"Do you think I'm capable of joining ANBU?" the pink-haired girl blurted out, before looking back down at her feet.

"Sakura?"

"It's just…" Sakura trailed off, not wanting to admit to Tsunade that Kakashi had basically told her she wouldn't make it.

Then she shook her head, brushing away those thoughts. After all, she'd never actually asked him. Maybe he didn't mean she couldn't join ANBU, maybe he'd just meant that she wasn't ANBU-level without going through the training.

She held her head high, shoving her doubts out of her mind. Sakura knew herself better than anyone, and she knew she could do this.

"Nothing, shishou. It's nothing. I would like to join the ANBU Black Ops."

Tsunade stared at her protégé, wondering where this request was suddenly coming from. It made sense from someone like Kakashi, a former ANBU, but she hadn't received any new recruits to the program lately, with everyone enjoying their hard-won peace.

And of those in the younger generation that Tsunade would have thought might show interest in ANBU, Sakura hadn't even made the list.

"Is something wrong, Sakura?"

Tsunade wondered for the second time that day if there was something going on with Team Seven. Maybe she really should have sent them out on more missions.

"No, Lady Tsunade. This has just been something I've been considering for a while now. I want to close the gap between me and my teammates when it comes to fighting, and I feel that ANBU is the best way for me to do this."

"So you don't wish to become an ANBU medic?" the blonde questioned.

Sakura hesitated. "I want to use my medical skills, but I want to fight, shishou. I want to get out there on the front lines and not have Kakashi or Sasuke have to get hurt saving me. I don't have a kekkei genkai, but that doesn't mean I can't get stronger."

"Sakura, you're already strong."

"I didn't mean physical strength, shishou."

Tsunade fixed her with the same stare that she'd used on Kakashi earlier. "I didn't mean physical strength either."

She paused, and for an awful moment, Sakura thought her shishou was going to say she wasn't ready.

"But I understand. If you still want to go through with this, I can't deny you. You make an excellent candidate."

"Thank you shishou."

"The paperwork is over there," Tsunade said, nodding toward a mostly untouched pile across the room. "Fill it out and bring it back in the morning."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade! Thank you!"

Sakura grabbed the application and ran from the room, hardly able to contain her excitement. It was only after she was out the door that she realized one of the spaces allowed her to request a mentor from among the current and former ANBU agents.

Tomorrow.

Sakura had until tomorrow to decide whom she wanted to request to train her.

_**~A/N: I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who followed/favorited/reviewed this story! I enjoyed talking to you. It's nice to know people find this story interesting enough to read. **_

_**I've got the next couple chapters planned out, so hopefully I'll have another update soon. I'm going to try to work ahead on this story while I've got a ton of free time this summer. **_

_**Until next time!**_


	4. Fork in the Road

**Four: Fork in the Road **

Jiraiya followed Kakashi, easily catching up to him and matching his pace as he left Hokage Tower. Kakashi looked over at him as he fell into step beside him. He'd been expecting the white-haired sannin to follow.

"I'm not suicidal," Kakashi said, putting _Icha Icha _back in his pocket. Normally he would have just kept on reading, but he remembered the last time he did that when Jiraiya was the one he was talking to.

"_You know, Kakashi, the author of that book you're reading is standing right here, and I know for a fact you've memorized every single line of that particular installment."_

_Kakashi looked over at him, but slowly lowered the novel and put in away. _

"_There, that's better," Jiraiya said, smiling. "Most people would be ecstatic that they got to meet Jiraiya, the real life author of the _Icha Icha_ series in person."_

_Kakashi snorted. "Well, they're not missing much." _

_Jiraiya pretended to look offended, and the two fell easily into conversation, like they had so often in the years after the war. Even if it was a little late, Kakashi had finally opened up to the older sannin, and the two shinobi found themselves conversing much more often. _

_They talked about anything. From the new main characters in Jiraiya's upcoming _Icha Icha _novel—which Kakashi advised him not to base of himself and Tsunade, for fear of bodily harm—to Minato to Kakashi's current team. _

Jiraiya had been one of the few who never questioned the five-member dynamics of Team Seven. After all, he had trained Naruto, so he knew no team could ever be normal if that boy was on it, and he knew Kakashi could handle his younger teammates.

Because of that, Kakashi had begun to feel like he could trust the man, and had started to confide in him much like he had done with the sannin's former student, his teacher, Minato.

"I know," Jiraiya said. "Believe me, I know the feeling of needing to get out. I left the village for a long time, remember? And I wandered around in my youth even before that. But you have to also understand, Tsunade is a lot like us. She worries about the people closest to her. You can't blame her for feeling like that."

"I'm a ninja, Jiraiya. It's my job to go on missions."

"Which is why she didn't deny you the opportunity. But that doesn't mean she won't still worry, especially now that she has the luxury—or burden—of choosing who to send out on missions."

Kakashi remained silent as he let Jiraiya's words sink in. He realized his general lack of openness with people outside of his close friends and teammates could cause the Hokage to think something was up, and he knew with the casualties Konoha had taken during the war that he was now one of the highest-ranking jonin in the village, and one that the Hokage trusted most.

He could understand her concern. After all, the mission he was on was recon and not particularly dangerous for someone of his skill level, but he knew most ANBU solo missions were almost suicidal.

"Just remember you have plenty of comrades back home waiting for you now," Jiraiya said, patting him on the shoulder. "Speaking of which, you should probably tell them you're leaving. You could be gone for months, and it would be better if they heard it from you."

"They'll be mad at me anyway," he shrugged.

"But they'll be more mad if they hear it from me or Tsunade."

Kakashi sighed. "I suppose you're right. Although Naruto will beg me to take him with me. I wonder who he could possibly have picked up that habit from?"

The sannin smiled and shrugged. "He was your student first."

"Yeah, but he takes after you more."

* * *

"Mmmm," Naruto sighed, patting the enormous growth that was his stomach. "More ramen please!"

"Don't you think you've had enough, idiot?" Sasuke questioned, rolling his eyes at the blonde's antics. _This _was the man he'd chosen as his best friend? The Uchiha decided he really needed to reevaluate his life choices.

"Never!" Naruto yelled, causing the few others sitting at the stall to look over. However, most of them being regulars, they ignored the orange-clad future Hokage and went back to their bowls.

Sasuke grumbled something about him being an idiot, but his heart wasn't really in it. After all, he wasn't the one paying tonight, so he didn't really care how much his idiot of a best friend ate.

"Yo," a familiar voice called, lifting the flap and coming to sit down next to Sasuke.

"Kakashi," Sasuke said, nodding at their silver-haired team leader.

"Hey Kaka-sensei!" Naruto said with a full mouth, waving enthusiastically.

"Hey Naruto, Sai." Kakashi looked around. "Where's Sakura? She's not with you guys?"

Sasuke shook his head. "We haven't seen her since this morning."

"Yes," Sai said. "We haven't seen her since Naruto made an apparently insensitive, but true, remark."

"What did you say?" Kakashi asked tiredly, turning to his idiotic former student.

Naruto's eyes widened as he stuffed more ramen in his mouth in and attempt to get out of answering his team leader's question.

"Naruto, what did you say to Sakura?"

Kakashi sighed. His former students-turned-subordinates were nineteen, and he was still having to act like their babysitter. Or maybe that was just Naruto.

"We were just joking around," Naruto whined in an attempt to defend himself. "She knows I didn't mean it. Besides, Sai's the one who started it!"

"I simply observed that we are very fortunate that Sakura is a medical ninja with all of the injures that our team seems to sustain. You are the one who blamed all of Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei's injures on her."

Kakashi's eye widened. "You didn't."

He looked over to Sasuke for confirmation. The ebony-haired shinobi just shrugged.

"_Naruto." _

"It was a joke, Kakashi-sensei, I promise! It just came out wrong!" Naruto looked like he was really upset.

"I'll say," Sasuke muttered. "Idiot."

His comment only served to make Naruto even more depressed. He even stopped eating to look sadly into his bowl, and Naruto looking into a half-finished bowl of ramen like a drunk looking into a cup of sake was more than the Uchiha could handle.

"Look, she's not even mad at you, remember? Hinata talked to her and she said she wasn't upset."

"Then why didn't she come hang out with us this afternoon?" Naruto moped.

"Were you even listening to your girlfriend?" Sasuke asked, exasperated by his best friend's antics. "She said she had to talk to Kakashi about something, remember?"

Naruto perked up at this. "Oh yeah, I forgot. What did she wanna talk to you about Kakashi-sensei? And _hey! _Sasuke! Hinata's not my girlfriend!"

* * *

Jiraiya shut the door behind him after Sakura's petite figure disappeared around the hallway.

"What was that all about?"

Tsunade looked up at him. "Have you been with Kakashi this whole time?"

"Yes."

"So she hasn't spoken to him since he learned of his mission?"

"Who, Sakura? No…" His curiosity was starting to get the best of him.

Tsunade shifted in her seat. "Because she's just asked me to approve her joining the ANBU Black Ops."

Jiraiya's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Sakura asked to join ANBU?"

Tsunade nodded. "It surprised me as well, but she's an excellent candidate."

She glared at Jiraiya, as if daring him to disagree when he remained silent.

"I don't doubt that she's fully capable, I'm just surprised. When was the last time you got any requests to join ANBU?"

"It's been awhile. There hasn't been much need for many S-ranked missions lately, so there hasn't been much need for ANBU agents."

"Hm," Jiraiya said. "With Kakashi going away for who knows how long, who will you get to train her? I assume Kakashi would have been the first choice for both of you."

Tsunade frowned. She hadn't even thought about Sakura's training when she'd told the girl to fill out the paperwork.

"It doesn't really matter," Jiraiya said. "She's a talented shinobi. Any of the current ANBU would feel honored to teach her."

"Yeah, I suppose," Tsunade said, wishing for the second time that day that Kakashi hadn't agreed to take that mission.

* * *

"What _did _Sakura want to ask you about anyway?" Sasuke asked Kakashi once Naruto had calmed down about the girlfriend comment.

The blonde was now in a deep discussion with Sai over whether Hinata's actions were typical of someone who wanted to be in a relationship with him. As soon as Sai pulled out one of his numerous books on human behavior, Sasuke knew it was time for him to get out of the conversation.

"She just wanted to check up on me," Kakashi told him, although after hearing about Naruto's comment earlier that morning, he was beginning to wonder himself if there had been another reason behind her visit.

"So it wasn't anything urgent, then?" Sasuke asked, the intensity of his eyes betraying his real concern for the pink-haired kunoichi.

Kakashi almost smiled at how fond the Uchiha had grown of their only female teammate. It was a far cry from the days of her fawning over him and him calling her annoying.

He still remembered the day, not too long after the war, when he'd teased her about messing up his team dynamics again by going after Sasuke. She'd surprised him by saying, with total confidence, that that part of her life was over, and that all she wanted was to be Sasuke's friend. At first he hadn't believed her, but after seeing the sincerity in her eyes, he knew her feelings for her teammate would never be a problem again.

He didn't pick favorites on his team anymore—he'd made that mistake when they were his genin team—but if he had to pick one, it would probably be Sakura. She'd changed the most—besides Sasuke's obvious switch from good to evil to back to good. She'd worked hard over the years to catch up with her male teammates, but she was at a disadvantage from the start considering Sasuke's powerful kekkei genkai and Naruto's jinchuriki status.

So he could understand why Naruto's comment would bother her, even if it was a joke. It wasn't her fault that she just happened to be on a team full of freakishly strong people. Hell, he wasn't even the strongest anymore. He was probably still the most skilled and experienced, but Sasuke and Naruto far outreached him in terms of raw power.

He tried to remember the last couple missions Team Seven had gone on. Over the years, Kakashi had taken his fair share of hits that were meant for her, but to him it never seemed like a big deal if she could just patch him up. It was by far the better alternative than seeing their team's only medic get injured. He knew Sasuke thought the same way, which was why the dark-haired ninja was also quick to throw himself in front of any attack headed her way.

He never said it out loud, but Kakashi also thought that the problem wasn't that Sakura was too weak to defend herself, it was that her boys were too quick to shield her from harm. They were all—himself included—guilty of that.

"Kakashi?"

He looked up, realizing that he still hadn't answered Sasuke's question.

"No," he said, giving his teammate his eye smile. "Nothing urgent. It was just a friendly chat."

"That's good. I was worried it might've been bothering her. The fact that I got hurt protecting her, I mean."

Sasuke looked over at Kakashi, silently warning his former teacher never to tell another soul that the last Uchiha was admittedly worried about one of his friends.

Kakashi sighed. "I think we're _all _guilty of being a bit too protective of her, Sasuke."

The black-haired shinobi cracked a smile. "Yeah, but we're the worst, Kakashi."

Kakashi supposed it was true. He just couldn't help himself. He'd throw himself in front of every attack aimed at his team if he could. He promised himself long ago that he wouldn't lose any more comrades.

"I guess."

"Hey! What are you two talking about?" Naruto asked. He and Sai were apparently finished with their conversation.

"It's nothing," Kakashi said, waving him off. "But there is something I came here to tell you all. I was hoping Sakura would be here, but I guess this'll have to do."

"Ooh! Do we have a mission?" an overly eager Naruto asked.

Apparently learning the duties of a Hokage wasn't as exciting as Naruto thought it would be. The silver-haired jonin couldn't help but smirk at the thought of Naruto wearing a ridiculous hat and sitting behind a desk all day long.

"Not exactly," Kakashi said slowly. "I can't give you all the details, because we don't know much, but I'm going to be going on a recon mission to the Land of Silver."

Always sharp, Sasuke picked up on the meaning in his team leader's words and narrowed his eyes.

"Alone," Kakashi finished.

"So you're back with ANBU," he observed levelly.

Naruto's eyes widened, and Sai looked as surprised as he was capable of as the pair realized what that would mean.

"You're leaving us?" Naruto asked, giving Kakashi a sad look.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "It's not like ANBU can't take regular missions, loser."

"But what are we supposed to do while you're gone?" Naruto asked, ignoring his best friend.

"Sasuke is perfectly capable of being team leader," Kakashi said. "Besides, there's always Yamato."

"Fine," Naruto grumbled. That was when Kakashi realized that maybe Tsunade was making progress with him. The old Naruto would have kept arguing with him until he was dragged away kicking and screaming.

Kakashi gave the blonde a smile, his visible eye crinkling. "Don't get so mature you become Hokage while I'm gone, okay?"

Naruto glared at his former sensei as Kakashi ruffled his hair. The Copy Ninja then stood, taking his leave of his three teammates, promising to be safe and to come and see them as soon as he returned.

He hadn't bothered giving them a date, because they all knew that no one could predict when an ANBU mission would end. They simply wished him luck and told him they'd see him when he returned.

* * *

Sakura cursed herself for the umpteenth time that night, wrapping her coat tighter around her body. Why she'd decided to come outside in this cold weather, she'd never know.

After talking with Tsunade, she'd gone straight back to her apartment and stared at the ANBU application for an hour without touching her pen before she decided she needed to get out of the house. She couldn't think cooped up inside, and she thought maybe some fresh air would do her good.

She had been wrong. The only think Sakura had been able to think about for the past twenty minutes was how cold she was. She was fairly sure she couldn't feel her toes anymore.

She sighed. She had no choice. She would have to find Kakashi and tell him she was joining ANBU. Then she would ask him to train her. That would be better than some random shinobi she'd never met, right? Even if he acted like he didn't want her to join?

She vaguely recalled that Tenten and Shino had joined ANBU after the war, but she was sure that they were too new to the program to be considered an acceptable mentor for her.

Sakura had finally worked up enough courage to go over to Kakashi's apartment and ask him that night when the man in question suddenly appeared in front of her.

"What are you doing walking around in the cold?" he asked, taking in her shivering appearance. When Sakura just shrugged, he continued. "I went by your house, but you weren't home. Mrs. Yamamoto saw me knocking and said you'd gone out."

Sakura smiled. Mrs. Yamamoto was her kind, if not somewhat nosy, elderly neighbor. The old woman was sweet, but she never seemed to remember that Sakura was a shinobi, and always thought that her teammates were her many boyfriends. It had caused many an awkward conversation.

"I just wanted some fresh air," Sakura said, wondering how to tell Kakashi that she'd gotten the ANBU application from Tsunade. Then she took in his appearance as he stood before her.

In all her years as his teammate, Sakura could count on one hand all the times that she'd seen Kakashi Hatake in something other than the standard-issue jonin uniform.

Seeing him now, in full ANBU attire, was one of those times.

"You're going on a mission?" she asked, noticing that his mask and katana were also present.

"Yes."

"When?"

"I leave tonight. I just told the boys at Ichiraku's, changed, and came to find you. I figured you guys should hear it from me."

"How long are you going to be gone?"

Kakashi ran a hand through his silver hair. "I'm not sure. It's a recon mission in the Land of Silver, but I don't really know what I'm looking for, so it'll probably be months."

"Oh. I see." Sakura's gaze fell. If he was going to be gone for that long, then someone else would have to take over her ANBU training.

He smiled, giving her that signature eye crinkle. "Don't be jealous. I'm sure Tsunade will assign you guys a mission soon."

Sakura forced a smile onto her face. Perhaps this would work out in her favor. He could go on thinking that she was sad she didn't get to go on a mission, and then, when he returned from the Land of Silver, she could surprise him by being in ANBU as well.

"Let's hope so!" she said, smiling when he patted her on the head. Sometimes she wondered if Kakashi still saw them as the little twelve-year-olds he'd basically raised as his own for a few years.

"I'll see you later, Sakura."

"Bye Kakashi."

He left with a wave, causing Sakura to question what she was going to do now that her choice teacher had left the village. Her face brightened when she suddenly realized exactly who her teacher would be. Kicking herself for not thinking of it before, she headed towards Ichiraku's to tell her boys the news, head held high with a newfound confidence.


	5. Conversations

**Yo! I'm posting this a little early because it's 4th of July and I've got plans tonight, when I would normally post. So here ya go! I hope to be able to keep up the frequent posting that I've been doing, but it may be more than the usual 2 or 3 days between chapters this time. I've got to do some planning ahead before I get into the more complicated part of this story, so if I'm taking a bit longer than usual, that's why. On the plus side, I do have some of the future chapters plotted out. **

**Five: Conversations**

"You're doing _what?" _Naruto yelled, nearly spitting his food all over an equally, albeit less emotionally, surprised Sai.

"I'm joining ANBU. I got the paperwork from Lady Tsunade this afternoon. I have to turn it in tomorrow."

"Did you tell Kakashi this before he left?" Sasuke asked, giving her a curious look.

Sakura resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably under his gaze. She didn't know why she felt like he was interrogating her. It was a simple question.

"Yes," she lied.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but he didn't press the issue. Sai and Naruto, fortunately, were too shell-shocked to have picked up on their little interaction.

"Wow, you're gonna be in ANBU. Does this mean you're leaving us too?"

"Naruto, for the last time, Kakashi isn't leaving us. He's just taking an ANBU mission at the request of Lady Tsunade," Sakura sighed, explaining to the blonde for the umpteenth time that their team leader was not abandoning them permanently.

"Team members take different missions all the time, loser," Sasuke said, turning away from Sakura. "Just look at the former Team Ten. They have a different lineup almost every mission."

"That's just because Shikamaru's got a girlfriend in a different country," Naruto pouted. "Hey! Maybe Kaka-sensei's got a secret girlfriend too! And he doesn't want us to know about her, so that's why he wouldn't give us any information about his mission!"

Sasuke and Sakura took the opportunity to simultaneously whack their blonde teammate across the back of his head.

"You idiot. He can't tell us all the details of the mission because it's classified and they don't know much anyway," Sakura explained. "Besides, everyone knows Temari is Shikamaru's girlfriend, even if he denies it, so it's not like it's really a secret."

"That would be quite romantic though," Sai said. "Or so I've read."

"We really need to take your books away and make you get out more, Sai," Sasuke said with a yawn. He was getting tired after spending the entire day with Naruto and Sai without Kakashi or Sakura to give him some semblance of sanity.

"Oh."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "It was a joke, Sai."

"_Oh." _

Sakura grinned. Nothing ever changed with those three.

"So," Sasuke asked, turning back to the pink-haired medic, "who's going to train you now that Kakashi's gone? I assume he would've been your first choice."

"Yeah," Sakura said, "but I've thought of someone better."

To be honest, she wasn't sure why she hadn't thought of him immediately after realizing Kakashi would be hesitant to teach her, even if he was around.

"Who?" Naruto asked. "Who's better than Kaka-sensei?"

Sakura smiled. "Yamato."

Sasuke couldn't help the smirk that came unbidden to his face. He didn't really know the wood user all that well, but they'd gone on a few missions and hung out as a team a few times, and he knew the man had a soft spot for the three ninja sitting next to him.

"Oh, good choice Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed. "He's such a softie there's no way he'll refuse you!"

"Yes, and seeing as he has served as Kakashi-sempai's replacement before, he won't be afraid to train you," Sai observed.

"Huh?" This time all three shinobi fixed the former foundation agent with confused expressions.

Sai shrugged. "I just mean that Kakashi is protective of his team, and because he trained Yamato himself, I thought that Yamato would be one of the few he would trust with one of his teammates while he is away. That's all."

Sasuke chuckled to himself as Sakura and Naruto continued to stare at their pale friend with incredulous expressions. He had to admit, Sai was clueless when it came to human interaction, but he was perceptive as anyone when it came to picking up certain things.

"Wow, Sai. I think you actually got something right about a person for once," Sakura mocked, punching him lightly on the shoulder.

Doing his learning credit, Sai didn't respond by fighting, and instead remembered that sometimes friends gave each other friendly punches on the shoulder. It was a form of teasing between comrades, he recalled.

The four stayed a little longer while Sakura finished her first bowl of ramen and Naruto his…well Sasuke had lost count at ten or so and decided he really didn't want to know the number anymore.

"Well, it's getting late guys, and I still need to go to Yamato's and ask him if he'll oversee my training. I hope he's home," Sakura mused after Naruto paid the hefty bill.

She felt somewhat guilty making him pay for her, but then decided that he'd already ordered so many bowls one more wouldn't make a difference. Besides, everyone knew they never charged him full-price anyway.

"You know where his apartment is?" Naruto asked, surprised that their pink-haired teammate would know where the wood user lived when none of the rest of them did.

"Yeah, I treated him there once when he got back from a mission," Sakura said. "The idiot had a huge gash across his chest and didn't bother going to the hospital. Luckily Genma had been with him and told Shizune and I about it. I think Kakashi passed his hospital-avoidance skills onto him too."

Naruto snorted. "Yeah, that's something Kakashi-sensei is really good at. Remember that time when you literally broke down his door and tried to drag him to the hospital when he and Sasuke got back from that one mission with Gai and Tenten? And he wouldn't go and you were making so much noise that the neighbors called Sasuke and it took both of you to drag him there?"

Sakura laughed. She'd forgotten about that particular occurrence. That was the first time she realized Kakashi could be just as immature as the rest of her boys. It hadn't been funny at the time—in fact, she'd been furious—but after the fact she admitted that it was probably a pretty hilarious site, seeing the famous Copy Ninja Kakashi being dragged out of his home kicking and screaming by two of his former students because he didn't want to go to the hospital.

Even Sasuke laughed. "He was such a wimp about it. It wasn't even that bad of an injury, compared to some of the other Sharingan-induced ones he's suffered."

"Yeah, who knew Kakashi-sensei was so afraid of hospitals," Naruto said between laughs.

Sai frowned. "If he dislikes them so much, then why does he spend so much time in them?"

Normally Sai's friends tried really hard not to laugh when his social ineptitude showed, but the three members of Team Kakashi were already laughing too hard to stop, and Sai's unintentional joke just made them laugh harder.

"Oh Sai, there's still so much for you to learn," Sakura said when her laughter finally subsided.

"Apparently so," he deadpanned, and the other three gasped.

"Sai…" Naruto started, with a horrified expression on his face. "Did you just make… a _joke?" _

"Yes," Sai nodded. "I picked up this particular type of humor from watching Sasuke."

Sasuke pouted, which only served to cause Naruto and Sakura to laugh even harder.

"Glad I could be of assistance," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes for added effect.

"Oh, quit being such a drama queen, jerk," Naruto said, slapping him on the back. "I think Sai got you down to a T. What does that even mean anyway? Down to a T? What's so special about a T?"

"I don't think that's the point," Sasuke started, and Sakura decided she should take her leave before she got embroiled in another one of their insane discussions.

Naruto and Sai were hopeless, and because Sasuke was stuck with the two of them most days—there were still plenty of people in the village who didn't trust him—he usually either humored them or attempted to explain to the two why exactly they were idiots. Kakashi was the only one she could count on for sane conversation when that happened.

She remembered the last unfortunate conversation they'd gotten dragged into when Sasuke had tried to explain what, exactly, an orgy entailed to their two idiot teammates.

Team Seven had all been out drinking one night when they ran into Ino at the bar. The rumors about their team had come up again, and they would have waived them off if Ino hadn't had a few drinks too many and joked that based on the rumors Team Seven was just like one giant orgy.

Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura had all looked vaguely uncomfortable, while Naruto and Sai just looked confused. It would have all ended there if Sai hadn't turned to Naruto and asked what an orgy entailed. The blonde had shrugged and asked Sasuke, who attempted, with input from a really drunk Ino, to explain the general idea.

At that point, Sakura and Kakashi had decided they'd had enough of that particular conversation.

Shuddering at the memory, Sakura bid farewell to the boys before scramming out of the restaurant before they could drag her into another conversation she didn't really need to be a part of.

Wrapping her jacket around her tighter to protect herself from the cold, she trudged down the street on her long trek to Yamato's apartment. Pulling her coat tighter didn't really help, but it made her feel better about walking in the freezing temperature. She'd traded her usual skirt and tank top for full-length leggings and a long sleeved shirt like the one Kakashi wore under his flak jacket, but they still didn't help her much.

She cursed the fact that Yamato had to live so far away from the rest of them. Since she'd moved out of her parents' in the civilian district, she, Naruto, and Kakashi all lived relatively close together, and it wasn't that much farther to Sai's.

Sasuke technically lived in the Uchiha complex, but she knew for a fact that he didn't stay there very often. He mostly stayed at Naruto's. She knew because she'd given them the extra bed from her parents' when she moved.

Although, she mused, that would probably change if Naruto and Hinata ever got together.

Laughing to herself, she picked up the pace, hoping to get to Yamato's sooner. She hadn't realized how late it was when she left Ichiraku's, but she knew now it must be getting close to midnight. She hoped the wood-style user didn't go to bed early when he was home. Missions weren't exactly a good way to gauge someone's sleeping habits.

At her quicker pace, it only took Sakura another ten minutes to reach the apartment that belonged to their stand-in captain. It didn't look like much from the outside, but she knew the wood user had been able to do a lot of remodeling on the inside. She regretted not asking him to build her a house when she'd had the chance.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked on his door, quietly, in case he really was asleep. If that were the case, she would just come by in the morning before she dropped the application off with Tsunade and hope that he was awake then.

Her worries turned out to be for nothing, because the door swung open a few seconds later to reveal the brown-haired shinobi. His flak jacket and headgear were absent, but otherwise he looked exactly the same as every other time she'd seen him.

"Sakura?" he asked, genuinely surprised to see her. "What's wrong? There's not some sort of emergency is there?"

Sakura shook her head. "Nope. All is peaceful and good in Konoha, although Kakashi just left on a ANBU recon mission to the Land of Silver."

She wasn't sure if the mission was technically classified, but she figured if it he told her without any warnings then she was free to tell Yamato, who was still a part of Team Kakashi.

"I heard he wanted back on the roster, but I didn't know he'd gotten a mission and left already." Yamato frowned and turned back to the girl in front of him. "Was there something you needed?"

Sakura looked up at him. "Actually, there is something I want to ask you."

"Why don't you come in and sit down," he offered. "It's way too cold out here."

"I agree," Sakura grumbled, taking off her coat as she stepped into the warmth of his apartment. It was much warmer than the heater in hers allowed, and she was immensely grateful. The walk over had made her colder than she realized.

"Tea?" Yamato asked, taking her coat from her and hanging up on a coat rack he made a few seconds earlier with his wood release. Sakura giggled at the act, and he smiled.

"You don't have to make anything for me," Sakura said. "I'm the one who knocked on your door at midnight."

"I was making some anyway," he shrugged. "It's really no trouble."

"Thanks," she said as he handed her a cup. "Mmmm." The warm liquid soothed her cold body.

"So what did you want to ask me about?" Yamato asked, sitting on the couch across from her.

Sakura set her cup down on the small table between them and focused on the drink. Luckily, Yamato was a patient man, so he just let her sit while he waited for her to tell him the reason she'd come over. After a few seconds, she lifted her head and met his gaze with emerald eyes.

"I'm joining ANBU."

To his credit, Yamato didn't show the same reaction as her other teammates, but he was just as surprised.

"Have you told the rest of Team Kakashi?"

"I just told the boys, and I told Kakashi right before he left," she said, but Yamato could tell she was lying by the way she looked down and bit her bottom lip after she finished her sentence.

"Sakura…"

Her gaze returned to his. "Okay, I didn't tell Kakashi. I sort of brought up the idea of my joining ANBU earlier, and he seemed freaked out by the idea, and I got the impression that he didn't want me to do it. Either that or he didn't think I could."

She sounded surprisingly bitter. It was something Yamato wasn't used to hearing in the medic's voice.

"Anyway, I was going to tell him, but then I found out that he was going away on a mission and I lost my courage. But this is something I really want, no _need, _to do. I need to stop being a liability when it comes to a fight, and Captain Yamato will you please train me?"

He frowned, somewhat surprised that Kakashi would have tried to discourage her from joining- it didn't seem like him- but he quickly pushed that thought aside as he looked at the pink-haired medic. Sakura had always been weaker than her male teammates, but what she had lacked in fighting prowess she'd more than made up for in smarts and medical skills.

But he knew the determined look in her eyes, and really, he saw no reason why anyone—especially Kakashi—would doubt her capability when it came to ANBU. He knew his sempai wouldn't have thought that she _couldn't _do it, so he wondered where his hesitation had come from.

"Of course Sakura," he said, with no hesitation on his part. He knew the kunoichi would be perfectly capable of becoming a fine ANBU officer if that was what she wanted. "I'd be honored."

Her eyes lit up. "Really? Oh thanks, Yamato! I knew I could count on you! I'll turn in all the paperwork to Tsunade tomorrow morning."

He smiled at her excitement. She was certainly one of the most enthusiastic recruits ANBU had seen in awhile, that was for sure.

"No problem. I will go talk with her about your training tomorrow as well. In the meantime, you should make arrangements to be gone for a few months. Lots of your training will take place outside of the village to prepare you for the increased longevity and intensity of S-ranked missions." He laughed. "Although if you survived the war, I'm pretty sure it's nothing that you haven't already gone through."

"Alright. I'll talk to my neighbor about keeping an eye on my place. And I'll see if Sasuke will come over and take care of it now and then too, just in case."

"Good," he said, walking her to the door and handing her her coat. "You'll be hearing from me tomorrow then."

"Thanks," she said, wrapping her arms around his middle, much to his surprise. He'd been gone on a few missions lately, so it had been awhile since he'd seen his Team Seven teammates, and he'd forgotten that Sakura was a hugger.

"You're welcome," he said, hugging her back with one arm before releasing her and watching her walk away. He smiled at the extra bounce that seemed to have been added to her step. Shaking his head, he shut his door and headed straight to bed, knowing that he should try to get a good night's sleep if he was going to start ANBU training again the next day.

As she began to lose consciousness, she was vaguely remembered that she'd promised Ino she would be the first to know if Sakura joined ANBU.

_Oops. Well, she'll forgive me I guess..._

**~A/N: As I was writing this, I was sort of struggling with how inept to make Sai. It's been a few years, so I feel like he would be getting better and social interaction, but there was a giant war before that, so personal relations wouldn't have exactly been all that important. **

**Anyway, as I was writing, I decided that he was sort of like Cas in Supernatural. Which just made me really want a Cas-meets-Sai crossover where they try to interact with people based off of really bad books or something. Anyway, thinking about it made me laugh...**

**Oh, and surprise! Yamato's going to train her. Don't worry. Kakashi will be back before you know it, but there are just so many ANBU fics out there where he trains her (willingly or unwillingly) that I thought, hmm what if Sakura just said 'okay, fine, I don't need you, I'll get someone who wants to train me.' **

**Plus Yamato is a totally underrated character (Please come back to the manga soon, baby!) and in my head he's a total softie for Team Kakashi so I thought he'd be a good choice. **


	6. Rebirth

**Six: Rebirth**

Kakashi leapt through tree after tree as he made his way as quickly as he could through Fire territory. It would still take him days to reach the borders of the Land of Silver, but he was anxious to get started on his mission.

Kakashi Hatake hadn't taken a real ANBU mission since before he'd agreed to take on the duty of overseeing Team Seven's training during their genin days. He'd taken missions far more dangerous than this one even before the war, but there was something he found refreshing about being out in his ANBU attire and mask again.

It was almost like he was a different person when he wore that mask. It was easy to hide away all his pain and all his feelings, and while the Copy Ninja was certainly getting better about letting people in—his newfound closeness with his team over the past three years was an example of that—the break from any and all emotions was always a welcome one.

Especially when he could spend a few months in solitude, looking for rebels in an otherwise peaceful country.

He smiled. He had a strange notion of what made for a good vacation.

When the sun had finally set low enough that he started running into stray tree braches, even with the use of his Sharingan, Kakashi jumped to the ground and set about making camp for the night.

He'd wanted to cover more distance that day, but he realized as his muscles strained in protest when he lowered himself down against a tree that he was probably more out of shape than he'd realized. Either that or he was getting old, but Kakashi refused to believe that thirty-three was old. He preferred to think of himself as…experienced. Or matured. Or well-ripened.

Scratch that last one, he thought with a shake of his head. It just didn't sound right.

No, he thought, as he stretched his legs out and removed his arm and leg guards, he was definitely just out of shape. It had been a long time since he'd run that far that fast, and Kakashi knew he was going to be feeling it even worse the next day.

He debated the idea of catching a few hours of sleep and starting up again before his muscles had time to tighten and stiffen overnight, but he knew that would do him more harm once he got to the Land of Silver. He wouldn't be of much use if he were too tired to process any of the information he picked up on.

Closing his eyes and willing his body to ignore the discomfort, Kakashi leaned farther back against the tree and pulled his cloak tighter around him. Wishing this mission had come a few months later when the weather was warming up, the white-haired shinobi fell into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

Daylight had come too soon, Kakashi decided as he bit back his fourth yawn in three minutes. He wished he could've rolled over and slept a little longer, but the sun was bright and there was no hiding from it, even under his cloak. And despite the fact that within the confines of Konoha, the silver-haired shinobi was constantly late, he didn't like to mess around on missions.

That was one of the hardest things for his team to get used to, he recalled, when they had finally reformed and started taking missions again after the war. He and Sasuke were perennially early risers, but Naruto and Sakura were a different story. Sai wasn't a problem. He was usually awake if they needed to leave.

Secretly Kakashi wondered if the boy ever slept.

He sighed as he felt a pang of something—longing? loneliness?—enter his chest. He missed his idiotic team more than he liked to admit. Even if it had been almost six months since all five of them had been on a mission together—he'd let Sasuke lead their last expedition when he'd had other duties to attend to—he still saw them almost everyday.

It never mattered where he was—reading in his house, lounging around outside the gates of the village, even hiding in a tree—one of his teammates would find him and drag him along to whatever they were doing at the moment. They kept telling him he shouldn't be alone all the time.

He was fairly sure that in the months that made up the first year after the war his team felt they couldn't leave him alone because of Obito, and what his return and subsequent role in the war had done to their team leader. They never spoke about it when he was around, of course, but the Copy Ninja was positive that Naruto had told them about how he'd all but given up on the battlefield at the site of his former comrade and best friend. The fact that Kakashi had killed Obito himself was also something that the blonde jinchuriki hadn't overlooked.

He had been surprised at the level of insight his old knuckle-headed student had shown, but Kakashi realized that maybe the blonde had been the best at reading people all along.

He knew he'd been depressed during the fight—in fact, if it hadn't been for Naruto shaking him out of it, he would have willingly let Obito kill him right there for what he'd thought were his failures at the time.

But he was past that now. These past three years with his team had shown him that things could be if not good, then at least better.

But with that camaraderie came the constant companionship. And he meant _constant._

Kakashi appreciated the thought, but really, sometimes he needed a break. Teams couldn't be around each other _all _the time, after all, even though that seemed to be the case with the younger members of Team Seven, hence all the rumors always going on about them.

He supposed he didn't blame people for talking. The four idiots were almost inseparable.

_Well, three idiots and Sakura_, he corrected himself. He wasn't about to lump the pink-haired girl in with the other three boys. She was different.

If he were honest with himself, Kakashi knew he'd never paid her much attention when she was a twelve-year-old lovesick genin. Maybe if he had she would've gotten over Sasuke quicker and gotten stronger younger, but when he thought about her now he realized that maybe it had all been for the best.

After all, if she hadn't been so much weaker than Naruto and Sasuke, maybe she wouldn't have sought out Tsunade's training at all.

Thinking about Sakura and her past insecurities brought his memory back to the present, and the confusing conversation he'd had with her before finding out about his mission. Something had seemed off, and she'd shown an unusual curiosity about ANBU. Normally he'd write it off as nothing, but after hearing Naruto's comment, he wondered if the kunoichi had been questioning her skills again.

He sighed. He had really hoped that she was past all that. It wasn't her fault that Sasuke was freakishly strong and had the Sharingan, and Naruto was a jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails.

She wasn't asking about joining ANBU, he tried reasoning with himself. She was just wondering if her power level was equal to that of an ANBU agent. She'd just wanted some reassurance. Reassurance he hadn't given her, he recalled with a wince.

But it was too late to do anything about it now. Worrying wouldn't help. It would only cloud his judgment and inhibit his mission.

That was what Kakashi told himself as he sprinted through the trees, wanting to make it to the edge of Fire Country before it got dark. He didn't fancy using the Sharingan to see two nights in a row, especially when he could be heading into 'enemy' territory as soon as he crossed the border. He didn't know where the traitorous Land of Silver rebels were hiding, and while he was sure they didn't have anyone stronger than him, he didn't want to be careless. Not on a solo mission with no teammates to back him up, or Sakura to heal him when he did something stupid.

Grinning, he wondered how he'd ever survived without them. Then he rolled his eyes. Who would've believed that the great Copy Ninja who had mastered over one thousand jutsus would have gotten dependent and sentimental?

_Yes_, he thought, _it was _definitely _time to take this mission._

* * *

Sakura strode into her kitchen, intent on having at least one decent meal before she left for training with Yamato. And kami knew how long _that _would take.

She'd heard varied reports about the ANBU initiation process, and she wondered what it would be like for her. It was all individual, of course. There were the basics that each recruit would have to be taught, but then from there it was up to the recruit's mentor to decide what skills they needed to focus on.

Tenten, she'd heard, had made it through the training in a few months, but Kiba had told her it'd taken Shino closer to a year. Sakura had no idea how long it would take her.

Eventually she did want to be an ANBU medic, but only after she proved to herself and everyone else that she was perfectly capable of fighting on the front lines.

But the fact that she already knew as much as even Tsunade about medical ninjutsu meant that she would be ahead, at least in that part of her training. Which was a good thing, because she knew for a fact that Yamato would have been completely useless if he'd had to teach her about being a medic, and she didn't want to have any teacher other than him.

Well, she would have been fine with Kakashi, but that was a different story, and one she didn't really want to concern herself with. He'd probably be mad at first, when he realized that she hadn't told him, but he'd get over himself when he saw what a great ANBU agent she was.

Sakura smiled to herself. _All _of her teammates would be proud, and she wouldn't have to watch from the sidelines any longer.

After she finished eating her dinner—hopefully not her last real meal for months—Sakura washed and put away all her dishes and set about tidying up the kitchen. She didn't know how long she was going to be gone, but she knew that a dirty apartment was not something she was going to want to deal with when she got back. It was annoying now, but she would thank herself later when she was too tired to move.

After setting everything where it was supposed to be and leaving a note telling Sasuke to take all the food in the fridge, Sakura grabbed the scissors she'd laid out earlier and headed to the bathroom. The lighting wasn't great, but it would have to do.

She looked in the mirror, admiring her pink locks. For the first year after the war, she'd kept her hair pretty much the same length, just above the shoulders, but as the peaceful times grew longer and longer, and Sakura began taking more hospital shifts than missions and treating more cases of the flu than internal hemorrhaging, she began to grow her hair out again.

It wasn't as long as when she'd first become a genin. She wouldn't make that mistake again. Long hair was great worn down when she was going out with her friends, but it was a bitch to take care of the rest of the time, and it just wasn't worth it for two nights out a week.

She'd let it go past her shoulders, but never let even the longest of the pink strands hit the middle of her back. That was when it became too much to deal with.

She remembered Ino telling her once that she was lucky, since she was one of the few girls who had a face that enabled her to wear her hair either long or shot. The blonde kunoichi had glared, and told her that she'd better make sure she took advantage of that fact.

"Taking advantage" of it turned out to mean letting Ino style her hair however she felt, but Sakura didn't mind. She was too busy with her work at the hospital and spending time with the boys to really bother with things like knowing the latest fashion trends.

Besides, that was what Ino was for, wasn't it?

Taking one last look at her long hair, but finding she wasn't feeling any sort of remorse like the last time, Sakura took a kunai from her holster and proceeded to whack off a good ten inches of hair, leaving it in a ragged line symmetrical with her jaw. Taking the scissors, she evened out the ends and shaped up the bangs.

When she finally finished, Sakura stepped back to take a look at her new appearance. She hadn't done too bad of a job. She wasn't going to quit her job as a shinobi to become a hairdresser anytime soon, but she at least looked acceptable. It was _far _better than that one time she'd gone over to Naruto's and found the blonde cutting Sasuke's hair. If she hadn't intervened when she did…well, let's just say that the Uchiha's amazing hair wouldn't have been so amazing.

"_It still looks better than the time Kaka-sensei tried to cut my hair when we were on that long mission, remember?" Naruto had pouted when Sakura took the kunai away from him and ordered him to fetch her some scissors. _

_Sasuke snorted. "Who would've thought someone who can strike so precisely with a kunai would be so awful at cutting a few long strands."_

_Sakura had laughed, remembering how Naruto's hair had come out looking as off-kilter as Kakashi's did on a daily basis. It had led to another bet amongst the three of them over whether Kakashi's hair was the way it was because he cut it himself or not._

"_How about I just stick to cutting your hair from now on, hm?" _

She smiled, both at the memory and her new appearance. The short, pink bob fit her, she decided. It was like a new beginning, and just in time for her training.

**~A/N: Hey! Hope everyone who celebrates it had a good 4th! The pace is getting ready to pick up. The action is coming soon, I promise. On another note, did you guys know there's a SasuSaku month. Not just a week, like KakaSaku week, but a _whole month?! _I wish we had a whole month. *sigh* But I do enjoy a bit of SasuSaku now and then so I guess I'll enjoy it. Anyway, random, but I was just surprised. Carry on!**


	7. A Change in the Weather

**Seven: A Change in the Weather**

The first thing the three boys of Team Seven noticed when they met up to train that morning was that the weather had changed. None of them felt like he was going die of frostbite on the long walk over to the training grounds near the outskirts of the village they had decided to use a few years when one of their sparring matches had almost destroyed a house.

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes when he heard Naruto sigh loudly beside him for what seemed like the hundredth time. Sakura had only started her ANBU training with Captain Yamato three weeks ago, and the blonde was acting like she'd been gone for an eternity. He'd even taken to hanging out with Hinata more often, and Sasuke's only regret was that Sakura wasn't here to see it.

Of course, she'd left the day after Kakashi had, so their gang had been cut down to three.

"And not three of the better, at least for company," Sasuke grumbled, only to have Sai look at him questioningly from his other side. When the pale shinobi saw Sasuke looking at him, he closed his eyes and smiled—something he did a lot when he wasn't sure how to respond to a social situation.

This time Sasuke did roll his eyes. How he managed to get stuck spending almost every waking minute with those two, he would never understand.

"Naruto!" a voice called out, and Sasuke felt his eyes grow wide in fear when he saw two shapes approaching in the distance.

_No, no, pleasenotthem. Please _anyone _but them. _

But the world was cruel to Sasuke Uchiha, so there was nothing the dark-haired shinobi could do to stop Naruto from waving and calling out, "Lee! Gai-sensei! Over here!"

Sasuke groaned. So much for peace and quiet and enjoying the weather.

* * *

Kakashi noticed the warmer weather too as soon as he woke up and found that he wasn't in danger of having to break icicles off his hair—something he was ashamed to admit he'd done before. It wasn't his fault he'd forgotten to pack a warmer cloak and didn't have teammates to mooch off of.

Well, maybe that was his fault, but the Copy Ninja didn't let it bother him. He was too busy enjoying the fact that he'd gotten a decent night's sleep for the first time since he'd taken this mission.

He was finally, after three weeks, starting to get the hang of a solo mission again. During the day, when he was out scouting or tracking, it didn't seem all that different from the missions he'd taken lately with his team, but it was a night when he had to choose between sleep and keeping watch when he realized how much he really missed his teammates.

He had hardly slept at all the first week because he hadn't wanted to let his guard down with no one to keep watch while he slept. He was, after all, in enemy territory, and he had no way of knowing how active the rebels were.

After a few weeks, however, he'd mapped out the area fairly well in his head, and he was almost one hundred percent certain that there was no rebel activity in the area he had made his base of operations.

So far, he hadn't come close to finding the rebel's main hideout, but that wasn't to say he hadn't discovered anything useful. He'd found out the identities of many of the bandits that were preying on travelers in the area, and even engaged a group of men he suspected to be involved in the Land of Silver rebellion.

Unfortunately, they were completely inadequate fighters, so Kakashi knew they couldn't have been very high ranking members. He hadn't even bothered interrogating them, knowing they wouldn't have been told anything remotely useful, let alone the names of those in charge or where they were hiding.

Instead, he had left them tied up on the side of the road in a place where he knew the Land of Silver's royal guard would be passing through. It was one of the preordained drop points Tsunade had told him about. He'd taken to leaving the bandits he came across there too. It wasn't part of the deal, but he _was _beginning to feel a bit bad about not finding anything useful.

So there he was, the great Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake, crouching in a tree above yet another campsite, hoping that maybe this time around he would come across something useful.

He knew he wasn't off to a good start when the first of the three men spoke.

"So did you hear the rumor that there's been rebel activity here?"

"Here?" a redheaded man—Kakashi suspected he was the leader—spoke from where he was packing up their supplies. "Don't be ridiculous, this is the most stable country in the entire world, and it has been for centuries."

The first man, a blonde, shrugged. "It's just what I've heard. Don't shoot the messenger."

Kakashi resisted the urge to sigh—another dead end—and prepared to leave when he was stopped by the third man's voice.

"But have you heard about that group of Rain ninja that have been terrorizing the travelling routes?"

"No," both men chorused, clearly interested in this new bit of gossip.

It didn't have anything to do with his mission, but Kakashi felt compelled to stay. The travel roads through Rain were very popular with shinobi, and he knew for a fact that many Konoha ninja used them. He decided he should at least stay and hear what the men had to stay.

"Apparently a high-level shinobi went rogue a few months back," the man continued, now that he had an audience. "He got a group of followers, and they've been stalking the routes popular with the merchants carrying the really expensive cargo. And I've heard they're not above engaging shinobi from the Five Great Nations in order to get the bounty money from them. The boss is a big shot, but from what I've heard the rest of his men are just your average hired goons, so they only fight shinobi they're sure they can handle—like ones traveling alone or in small groups. Anyway, that's just what I heard from Ichiro back in the town the other day."

Kakashi frowned, digesting this new information. Rain was always unstable, so there was nothing unusual about rogue ninja thriving there, but it was something that would be worth keeping an eye on. But as long as they travelled in teams, the ninja from the Five Great Nations shouldn't have any trouble from the gang.

Wishing he'd come across something more useful, but still glad to have done something productive on such a nice day, Kakashi set about making it to the next location he'd planned on. He decided he would stop in one of his safe locations that night, though.

He'd finally remembered how it felt to sleep through the night, and he was going to take advantage of that while the weather still allowed it.

* * *

"What are you guys doing out here?" Naruto asked the green-clad pair of unorthodox shinobi standing in front of them, and Sasuke found himself wanting to punch his blonde friend into the ground.

It wasn't that Sasuke hated Might Gai and Rock Lee. To be honest, he didn't really have a problem with them, as they had treated him cordially when he returned to the village. He supposed it wasn't in their nature to hold a grudge or to be mean to anyone, and while he would never admit it, he'd been somewhat grateful for it at the time. Everyone else besides his teammates had been quick to give him the cold shoulder.

So it wasn't that he hated Gai and Lee, he just wasn't in the mood for their shenanigans. It was bad enough that Kakashi and Sakura were both gone, and the overactive taijutsu-using pair's energy was a little too much for him to handle that day.

"We were actually on our way to find you three," Lee explained, and Sasuke inwardly cringed. The last thing he wanted to do was spend a day with those two training—or worse, a mission.

"The Hokage wants to see you."

Sasuke looked up, his frown mirrored onto Sai and Naruto's faces as well.

"Is something wrong?" Naruto asked. "Nothing happened to Kakashi-sensei, did it? Or Sakura?"

Gai shook his head. "She didn't say what it was about, but I can assure you my old rival would never let something like a silly ANBU solo mission defeat him!"

"Hn," Sasuke said, "you're probably right. We couldn't be rid of him that easily."

"Hey! Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed. "That's mean!"

"I believe that that is the way that Sasuke shows he cares for someone," Sai said, cocking his head to one side as he observed the Uchiha.

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke turned to his two idiot teammates. "Let's just go. We're not going to figure it out on our own, and the sooner we get to Hokage Tower, the sooner Tsunade will tell us what the hell's going on."

* * *

Sakura dropped to the ground, panting heavily as she reached up to remove her porcelain cat-shaped ANBU mask. She carefully laid it on the ground next to her, making sure not to scratch it. Even though she knew it would sustain damage in battle, she wanted to preserve it for as long as she could.

"You know," she said casually, reaching up to tie her now-longer hair into two tiny pigtails at the nape of her neck as Yamato dropped ungracefully next to her, "you really shouldn't go easy on me just because we're friends."

Yamato laughed. "You think _this _is easy? I'm breathing just as hard as you are."

Sakura smiled. There was no question they were both tired from that chase she'd led him on earlier. It had worked. She'd managed to avoid being caught by him like he'd told her, but Sakura still worried that her former team leader was showing favoritism.

"I just want to make sure you're not treating me any differently than Kakashi treated you when you were a new recruit. I don't want anyone saying I didn't earn this, and I want to really earn my way."

Yamato sighed. "Are you still worried about other people's perceptions of you?"

Sakura looked down guiltily. He'd had this conversation with her countless times, trying to boost her self-confidence. Between that and the training, she was beginning to think it was working, but she still had lingering doubts about her own capabilities.

"Well stop," he continued. "You're doing just fine. In fact, you're doing far better than any recruit I've ever seen. You have nothing to worry about. Your strength and skills are on par with the best, and you are certainly not a lost cause. I wouldn't have trained you if I'd thought otherwise. I'm not as soft and pitying as Kakashi-sempai is."

A corner of Sakura's mouth quirked upward in a smile. "Thanks, Captain Yamato."

"You're welcome, Sakura. Now let's eat and get some sleep. We've got another hard day of training tomorrow."

She nodded, and set about gathering the ingredients she'd need for dinner. It was her turn to cook, after all. One thing she'd found that was nice about teaming up with Yamato over the years was that he was just as capable as she was at cooking. Since they'd started their training together, they'd taken turns making dinner each night. It was a good tradeoff.

"Say, Yamato?" Sakura asked after they'd cleaned up the small cooking fire and settled into their sleeping bags for the night.

"Hm?"

"When do you think I'll be finished with this training part? I mean, when do you think I'll be able to take my first mission?"

Yamato was silent for a few minutes, and Sakura was beginning to wonder if he was already asleep. She wouldn't have been all that surprised. She'd been yawning ever since the sun went down hours ago, and she guessed the wood-style user was just as tired.

"You're on pace to finish the training program faster than anyone I've ever heard of," he said finally, shocking Sakura into alertness.

"Huh?" she said unceremoniously, unable to form a more coherent reply.

She could almost hear the smile in Yamato's voice as he rolled over and said, "I'm serious. You've picked up on everything I've taught you quicker than anyone could have hoped, and I think you'll finish within the week."

Sakura let his words sink in and contemplated what that would mean. One week until she finished her ANBU training? Had she really improved so much in such a short amount of time? Was that even possible?

And even though she knew his words should have reassured her of her own strength, should have made her happy, all Sakura could think about was the fact that she could be taking solo missions as soon as next week, and she didn't feel that much different from the girl who'd left three weeks ago.

She couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Of course, you won't start taking missions right then and there," Yamato said, as if he could sense her hesitation. "We'll have to go back to the village and you'll undergo evaluations to make sure that I really did teach you everything you need to know and that you are competent. You'll pass easily though. It helps that your previous teachers were Kakashi and Tsunade, and that you've been a part of Team Seven for so long. You were stronger than you thought, Sakura."

"And when I do take a mission, will it be a solo one?"

"No. You have to have something like five or ten S-ranked ANBU missions under your belt before they'll even think of sending you on a solo mission. Your first mission will be with me, and it probably won't even be all that difficult."

"Famous last words," Sakura joked. "So will I always work with you?"

Yamato shrugged. "If you want. Although you could probably work with Kakashi too, now that he's back on ANBU, and you've got more experience working with him anyway."

"If he'd even want to work with me," Sakura grumbled.

Yamato frowned, knowing that whatever conversation she and Kakashi had before he left was a touchy subject.

"I'm sure he'd want to work with you," Yamato said. "He's not really someone who enjoys working with a variety of different people. He's more of a constant partner kind of guy."

"Is that why you two were partners for so long?"

"I never had another until he left ANBU for good to become your team's leader."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then won't you two want to work together again?"

"I don't know. We made a great team back in the day, but a lot has changed since then. For all I know, you may work best with him now."

"Or maybe I work best with you and he's the odd man out," Sakura said with a smile.

"Then he'd have to get some new teammates," Yamato pointed out.

"Eh, tough luck."

"He probably wouldn't be happy."

"He's an elite jonin. He can handle it."

"I don't know. Have you ever seen him pout? It's pretty pathetic."

Sakura laughed. "The day that Kakashi Hatake _pouts _is the day that Sasuke Uchiha professes his undying love to me."

The image of Kakashi pouting was worming her way into her head, and Sakura found herself stifling her giggles. She imagined him making puppy dog eyes, sticking out his lower lip and…

The realization hit her all at once.

"Wait…Yamato…does this mean you've seen Kakashi's face?"

Yamato was somewhat surprised by her question. "Of course I have. We were teammates for quite a few years."

She was quiet for a moment, and Yamato was beginning to wonder if something was wrong when she suddenly cried out, "I can't believe it! It's not fair! We've been on his team for seven years and he's never shown _us _his face!"

Yamato smiled knowingly. "Maybe it's because he knows how much it drives you four crazy."

"Well that's not very kind of him," Sakura muttered angrily, turning over in her sleeping back. "I don't suppose you could tell me what he looks like. You see, Naruto, Sasuke and I have this bet going…"

Yamato laughed. "I've been sworn to secrecy."

She sighed. "Yeah, I figured as much. Oh well, it was worth a try. Goodnight, Captain Yamato."

"Goodnight, Sakura."

* * *

"You wanted to see us?" Sasuke asked as soon as the trio was let into the Hokage's office.

"Yes," Tsunade said, looking up from a scroll and at the three remaining members of Team Seven standing in front of her. "I have a mission for you."


	8. Hidden Talents

**A/N: I know! Another update? Well, the good news is I got a head start on some of the later chapters. And there's no bad news...yet. So that's fun. Anyway, enjoy! The action is coming sooooooon :D**

**Eight: Hidden Talents**

"Ooh! We have a mission!" Naruto piped up. "It's about time! I've been going crazy learning how to do all this paperwork stuff. Everyone knows I'm just gonna make Kakashi-sensei do it for me anyway when I'm Hokage. He's better at stuff like that."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, willing to let the subject drop, but Sai had other ideas.

"What makes you think Kakashi would do all your paperwork for you?"

"Well, duh. He's going to be my adviser—no offense to the old guys but I don't really like them."

"They _are_ idiots," Sasuke said. He didn't normally like to get involved in these sort of conversations, but the Hokage's advisers had really pissed him off when he'd come back to the village after the war. If they'd had their way—and if Tsunade had even the tiniest bit of respect that would have allowed her to listen to them—he'd be rotting in a cell right now.

"Yeah, so I don't see why Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke over here can't be my advisers instead."

"Hey wait a minute, loser. No one said anything about me being an adviser. Make Sakura do it."

Naruto frowned. "No way! She'd hit me! And besides, I'm gonna put her in charge of the hospital, assuming that Granny Tsunade actually does run away with Pervy Sage when she retires—oops."

Naruto ducked as a completely red-faced Tsunade threw an empty sake dish at him.

"You weren't supposed to talk about that, idiot," Sasuke said through gritted teeth, watching the blonde Hokage to make sure he wasn't going to be her next victim.

"Yes, I do recall this being one of our 'secrets' that we weren't supposed to tell anyone about," Sai observed.

"Sakura!" Tsunade grumbled. "I _thought_ that girl could keep her mouth shut."

"Wait, Sakura knew! And she didn't tell us! That's not fair! This was sacred. Almost like Kakashi-sensei's face!"

Naruto looked offended at the thought that the pink-haired medic had known about Jiraiya and Tsunade…and not at all like the girl had spilled her guts to them over sake one night at the bar.

"So Sakura didn't tell you?" Tsunade looked surprised.

The three boys shook their heads.

"Well, shit."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. It was all but confirmed now.

"Anyway, it's not important. Back to the mission." Tsunade was eyeing them warily now. "You know that I sent Kakashi out on a mission to the Land of Silver to investigate rumors of a rebel army there, correct?"

The three shinobi nodded.

"It was at the request of Lord Tanosuke Sasaki that a ninja from Konoha go to that region and see if there was any information on the rebellion. What he didn't initially say in his mission request, however, was that there had been attacks on him and his family."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He could see where this was going. "Has Kakashi found something?"

Tsunade shook her head. "Unfortunately he hasn't found their leaders or their headquarters yet, but it's only a matter of time before he picks up a trail. But that's not why I called you three in here. Sasuke, I want you to lead the squad and serve as the Sasakis' protection detail."

"We get to be bodyguards?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Not exactly. Lord Sasaki is worried that there will be an attack at the facility where one of the noble families is hosting a dinner, and he wants some Leaf ninja there in case it goes south, but he mainly wants to see if we can gather any additional information on the rebels while we're there."

Tsunade rolled her eyes and sighed. Even Sai could tell this Sasaki guy was getting on her nerves.

"I told him we've got one of our best out gathering information, but apparently he's not familiar with the amount of time a recon mission like that can take, especially when we don't even know if there _is _a real rebel army."

"So that's where we come in, isn't it?" Sasuke asked.

The Hokage nodded. "Yes. He wants you three to pose as performers for the dinner. That way you can talk to people without arousing suspicion and see if anyone's heard anything." She paused, taking in the trio's faces. "Is this going to be a problem? You've posed as a performing group on missions before, haven't you?"

"Yes we have," Sai said, "but Sakura has always done the actual performing part."

Tsunade frowned, forgetting that her pink-haired apprentice was still away on her ANBU training. This threw a wrench in her plans, but she wasn't going to call Sakura back for the sake of this mission. Surely one of the three had some sort of talent. If not, she could always find them a fourth team member from somewhere in the village.

"Well, you leave in three days," Tsunade sighed. "That should give you plenty of time to figure out what to do about Sakura's absence. Dismissed."

* * *

"Hey Yamato, can I ask you a question?" Sakura asked the next day when they were cleaning up their camp.

They were making their way back to Konoha at a leisurely pace, since she had almost completed her training. There were just a few more things for him to teach her, but it wasn't like there was any rush. She was still bar far the fastest to complete her ANBU training as far as he knew. He didn't think even Kakashi had finished remotely close to one month.

"Sure," he said, slipping on his pack and starting to walk. There was really no need to hurry, so they might as well wake up a bit before they started tearing through the trees at a breakneck pace.

"Did you ever date anyone or have a serious relationship? You know, when we weren't at war or anything?"

"Why the interest, Sakura?"

She blushed. "It's just…I was just thinking that I never seem to find the time to get out or anything. I mean, I know I could never date a civilian—he wouldn't understand my job and it wouldn't be fair to him if I were gone all the time—but other ninja settle down, don't they?"

"Sure they do. It's nothing like the life you could live if you weren't a shinobi, but there's no rule that says you have to stay alone forever. But to answer your question, no. I've never been in a serious relationship. I was very focused on my ANBU career when I was younger. I was a lot like Kakashi back then—he was my mentor after all—and like him I didn't leave ANBU until I was assigned to take over Team Seven for him."

"So you've never dated either then?"

Yamato shook his head. "Nope. There was this one girl when I was a lot younger, but you know how things get. It never went anywhere."

Sakura sighed. "I know all about that."

"You mind if _I_ ask _you_ a question?"

"Sure. It's only fair."

"How come you've never dated anyone on your team? It's not all that uncommon."

"Well, besides the general drama that that would entail, I guess I just never really considered it, especially after how bad it was when we were genin. I don't know how Kakashi put up with us back then, especially me."

She shuddered just thinking about how love struck she used to be over Sasuke. She was _so _glad they'd been able to move on and overlook that part of their life. The part where they'd tried to kill each other too. That wasn't exactly a highlight of their friendship.

"But anyway, I'm over Sasuke now, Naruto's like a brother to me after all the two of us have been through, and I love Sai, but he's got the emotional IQ of an overturned rock."

Yamato laughed at her apt description of the dark-haired ex-foundation agent. A rock was very similar as far as expressiveness went.

"He is getting better, though," Sakura added, feeling the need to defend Sai since he wasn't there to defend himself. "He's stopped giving people those awful nicknames."

"Well that's a relief. Those nicknames gave me quite a headache when I first captained your team."

"I think that was us that gave you those headaches," Sakura laughed, nudging him with her elbow.

Yamato smiled and elbowed her back. "Well, I wasn't going to mention it."

* * *

"Damn it," Kakashi swore to himself as the trail he'd been following turned out to be another dead end. He was going nowhere quick with this mission, and he knew Lord Sasaki had to be getting impatient.

He'd been out in the Land of Silver for nearly one month now and he had yet to find anything remotely useful about who was behind the rebellion.

The lead he'd been following—backtracking a pair of men who looked like shinobi—had been his most promising so far, but it too had turned up a dead end.

"There has to be something else going on here," he muttered to himself as he dropped out of the tree he'd been hiding in.

That was when he felt it. It wasn't much, but there was something just _off _with his senses when he'd landed. It was gone as soon as he realized it, but that split second was all the Copy Ninja needed to realize that he'd been tricked.

By a _very_ powerful genjutsu.

"Ah," he said, tilting his head back. "Now _this _is more like it."

* * *

"Aw man, what are we going to do now that Sakura's not gonna be with us on this mission?" Naruto moaned as he followed Sasuke and Sai out of Hokage Tower.

Sasuke shrugged, and Sai was as helpful as ever. Which was to say, not at all.

"Come on," the blonde protested. "_One _of us has to have some sort of talent, right? What about you, Sai? You're an artist."

Sai fixed Naruto with a stare that looked like it could almost be filled with contempt. If Sasuke had it in him, he would have been proud of the ex-foundation member.

"Just because I paint does not mean that I am any more talented than you or Sasuke in singing or dancing my way across a stage."

"What about just letting people watch you draw then?" Naruto asked.

"That would be boring, idiot," Sasuke said. "No offense Sai."

Sai smiled. "None taken. Besides, I don't like it when people look at my work before it's finished."

"Well, you could always sing while you worked," Naruto grumbled, annoyed that the two dark-haired shinobi were ganging up on him.

"My voice is nowhere near as lovely as Sakura's," Sai said, having finally learned to forgo his usual nickname of 'ugly' after Kakashi had pulled him aside and given him some friendly advice about his choice of adjectives.

To be fair, the reason Kakashi had even brought it up was because Sai hadn't realized that giving Sasuke the nickname of 'former traitor' might not have been the best way to form a bond with the Uchiha. The part about calling Sakura ugly had been more of an afterthought on Kakashi's part.

"Well," Naruto said, breaking the pale ninja out of his thoughts, "it would be hard to beat Sakura's voice anyway. It's beautiful. I think she would have had a career in singing if she hadn't decided to become a kunoichi."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, not really interested in their conversation. It was true though. Sakura really probably could have made a living off of performing. It wasn't just her voice—which was a rare blend of soprano and alto that made a combination that Sasuke certainly found easy on the ears—it was also her presence. She had a way of commanding your attention that was rare in a performer.

It was unfortunate that they would be without her for their mission. It would have been a lot easier for the boys to snoop around while everyone's attention was on her.

A horrific sound violated his ears, and he looked over in shock, wondering what sort of creature could be attacking the village—only to find that it was Naruto attempting what Sasuke could only assume was singing.

"Stop that!" he snapped, covering his ears much like how Sai was doing. "Do you want to blow out our eardrums?"

Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but Sai's hand came down and clamped it shut.

"Naruto," he said. "Do us a favor and never sing again. We'd really appreciate it, right Sasuke?"

Sasuke nodded. "Just stick to fights from now on, eh loser?"

"Well if I'm not going to do it, then which one of _you _is going to perform? Huh?"

Sai shrugged, opening his mouth and giving it a shot. They all knew the Uchiha wasn't going to volunteer.

Sasuke grimaced. While Sai was considerably better than Naruto—which only meant that Sasuke didn't want to rip out his ears—Sasuke knew there was still no chance he could ever pass as a performer. They'd be figured out for sure.

Not for the first time, Sasuke wished Sakura were back. Hell, even Kakashi would have done. The man wasn't as good as Sakura, but he'd been a jonin for years and he'd had to do his fair share of infiltration missions requiring him to pose as someone other than himself.

Sasuke knew for a fact too that he'd had to pose as a singer at a nightclub once, and he'd used the Sharingan to try to copy a man's voice. It hadn't completely worked, but he'd still have been a _much _better option than either of the two idiots standing in front of him. Kakashi could have at least passed as a valid performer.

Sasuke groaned to himself. _The things I do for this damn village. Itachi, I hope you're happy. _

Then he looked up at his two frowning teammates and said the three words he never thought would come out of his mouth.

"I can sing."


	9. Exploration

**Nine: Exploration**

Modest was not a word that was commonly used to describe Sasuke Uchiha, but Shikamaru was beginning to think that it might actually be valid in this case. Ino had always said that Sakura could have had a singing career if she'd wanted to, but even her voice was nothing compared to the black-haired Sharingan user currently on the stage.

If he were that good at something, even if it was achieved partially through using the Sharingan, he wasn't so sure that he'd have kept it a secret for so long…if it wasn't for the fact that it would attract attention. And attention really was a drag.

"So does the Hidden Leaf teach all its shinobi to sing like that?" Temari whispered in his ear, and Shikamaru realized he was going to regret letting his girlfriend talk him into stopping by for drinks to check in on their friends in Team Seven.

"No," he said quickly, hoping the sandy-haired kunoichi would let it drop.

"Hm," she said, clearly pondering letting it go.

_Please let it go. This is such a drag…_

"I think you'll have to prove it to me later," she whispered in his ear, much to Shikamaru's chagrin.

"I can't sing," he complained. "And I don't have a Sharingan either! Just believe me!"

Temari sighed and went back to watching Sasuke Uchiha. "Alright, Shikamaru. I believe you. I guess we'll have to do something else instead to keep ourselves busy."

The tactical genius sighed. Of all the girls he could've fallen for, why did he have to pick the one that took the most work?

* * *

"You must be Tanosuke Sasaki," Sasuke said after his turn to perform was up. He realized he should probably have called him _Lord _Sasaki, but he was too annoyed with his situation to care about politeness. That was Kakashi's thing, not his.

He couldn't believe that he'd had to sing in front of people not just once, but _twice. _Their first mission to the Land of Silver hadn't been successful, but his performance was enough of a hit that Lord Sasaki had suggested they come back to the next dinner.

So that was why Sasuke Uchiha, an elite jonin from the Village Hidden in the Leaves, was performing for the second time, one month later, in front of the same group of stuffy nobles he was trying to get dirt on.

It really was bad luck that Sakura's first ANBU mission had to have fallen on this week of all weeks. He wouldn't have minded handing the performance reigns over to her and doing a little of the investigating himself. He knew Sai and Naruto were fine shinobi, but he couldn't help but worry that they were going to miss something. Subtlety, after all, was not Naruto's strong point.

"And you must be the ninja Konoha sent." Sasaki spoke with a tone of contempt in his voice, and Sasuke decided that he didn't like the man.

"Yes."

"I trust your friend isn't having any trouble gathering information?"

He meant Kakashi. The Land of Silver lord hadn't made it a secret to Tsunade that he was displeased with the lack of progress.

"Things like this take time, especially if whoever he's tracking is good and doesn't want to be found. But I wouldn't expect a civilian like you to understand all the details of a shinobi's mission."

Sasuke knew he should've left out that last jab, but he couldn't help it. And besides, he was in a _really _bad mood and he didn't feel like dealing with this shit.

And if he didn't control his temper, he was going to tell Sasaki just that.

"Perhaps you should introduce me to your family," Sasuke said, before the nobleman had a chance to respond to his earlier insult. "It would be best if I know who I need to protect if there is an attack."

Sasaki nodded curtly, motioning for Sasuke to follow him. The tall, dark-haired man led him over to where a pretty, somewhat younger blonde woman was sitting.

"This is my wife, Saya. Next to her in Teiji, my oldest."

The dark-haired boy looked to be about twenty, and he was the spitting image of his father, down to the hostile glare he sent Sasuke's way, which the Uchiha gladly returned. He would be leaving soon, so there was no point in trying to make friends or a good impression. Sasuke didn't care about either of those.

Next to Teiji were two other kids—a boy and a girl, both with brown hair—who looked like they were in their late teens.

"These are the twins, Benni and Toshizo. I have two younger children at home as well, a thirteen-year-old daughter, Yumi, and an eight-year-old son, Takeshi."

Sasuke nodded. "Alright. I'll make sure my teammates know who to keep an eye on."

Sasaki's eyes narrowed. "How many of you are there? I was under the impression you were alone, seeing as no one performed with you."

"I was merely a distraction. My teammates were combing the area the entire time. I assure you that if something suspicious is going on, they will have found it."

Sasaki nodded, and Sasuke knew a dismissal when he saw one. It was the same way his father had always nodded to him, and he couldn't help but glance over at Teiji, the bratty one, and wonder if he felt like Sasuke used to when he was a kid.

"I'll let you get back to it, then," Sasaki said. "Best of luck."

"Thanks," Sasuke said with a nod, then he was back to find Naruto and Sai. He couldn't get out of there fast enough.

_Why the hell did Kakashi have to be on that stupid ANBU mission? And why is Sakura gone _now _of all times? _

He sighed. He really hated being the team leader sometimes. He didn't mind the responsibility or the planning, he just hated having to talk to the client. He didn't know how Kakashi was able to bear it. After all, the two men were a lot alike.

_Hurry up and get that information so we can all go home. _

Sasuke was beginning to get a bad feeling about this mission.

* * *

Kakashi made his way into the tent that served as a cafeteria for the new recruits, cursing himself for not seeing through the genjutsu the rebel army was using earlier. If he had, he could've infiltrated their ranks long ago and gotten this stupid mission over with already. After all, it wasn't like he had to take out the leaders. He simply had to get enough information on them and their location that Sasaki could handle the rest.

The fact that his infiltration had been so easy was all luck, really. As soon as he'd discovered the genjutsu, he'd snuck into their camp and tried to find out what exactly he'd stumbled upon. Considering the high caliber jutsu that had been used to hide such a large camp, he guessed that he'd found something good at last.

And how right he'd been. He'd had to kill the first man who came upon him—a shame really, he'd gone a long time without killing someone—but it couldn't be helped. The man was a much better fighter than anyone Kakashi had come across so far, and that was proof enough that he was getting closer to some real intel.

After he'd disposed of the body using Kamui—a new use of the jutsu for him—Kakashi had donned the dead man's clothes and resumed his snooping. It was blind luck again that he ran into a man who clearly seemed to know what he was doing. When he'd asked Kakashi if he was here with the rest of the new recruits, Kakashi had simply nodded.

It was the easiest infiltration of his life.

So there he was, one month later, living among the very men that he had been searching a month for with no luck. He felt only a vague regret that he was going to betray them. After all, he held no real love for the Land of Silver, but these men had no real reason to be leading a rebellion and causing bloodshed either, so he didn't concern himself. It was not a ninja's job to question a mission, and he'd always said that personal attachments never got a good shinobi anywhere.

"Hey, Hiro! Over here!"

Kakashi looked over at the sound of his pseudonym. He sometimes forgot that when the members of the rebellion looked at him they saw Hiro Matsumoto, a brown-haired shinobi with a ponytail and not the great Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake.

Unfortunately, because whoever had created the genjutsu to hide the base had to be rather skilled, Kakashi had had to settle for disguising himself the old fashioned way. Any sort of henge would have been seen through.

He really hoped brown hair dye came out.

"So are you ready to finally meet the boss today?" a young blonde man—Kakashi forgot his name—asked.

"I guess," Kakashi lied. Actually he was beyond ready to meet the man. One month of living in the same camp as him and he hadn't seen or even heard a whisper of him. He was beginning to lose hope that he'd ever get to meet him in this situation, and was about to risk spying at night or even leaving, when the recruits had been told at training one day that they would get to meet the boss in exactly one week.

"I'm ready to finally get some action!" another recruit said. Kakashi was fairly sure his name was Hideki. "We've been training for weeks now. We've got to be ready to mount an attack soon."

"It takes far more training and planning than that to launch any sort of attack," Kakashi said without really giving thought to his words.

"Huh? And what do you know about that?"

"Nothing," he quickly lied. "I just assumed that based on everything I've heard. I mean, it seemed like that's what Five Great Nations did in the last war."

Having been there, he knew for a fact that a lot of planning had gone into that battle—he was one of the generals after all—and he was hoping that even the men all the way out in the Land of Silver had heard about the war. He couldn't afford to blow his cover by seeming out of place.

"Yeah I guess," Kaoru—Kakashi remembered his name now—said. "I always wonder what it would have been like to fight in that war."

"Yeah," Hideki said, almost dreamily. "I bet it would have been amazing. Don't you think, Hiro?"

"Um, sure." Kakashi almost laughed. That was the biggest lie he'd ever told. He had no desire to fight in a war like that again. Seeing Obito die once had been bad enough, thank you. "It was probably great."

"Eh, they probably wouldn't have let you fight since you've only got one eye," Hideki teased.

"Nah, I think I remember hearing that one of the five generals only had one eye, or something like that," Kaoru said thoughtfully. "Or maybe it was one arm? I can't remember."

"I think it was an arm," Kakashi said, a little too quickly, but he didn't like the direction this was going. He was such an idiot for bringing up the war. He was the famous Copy Ninja, of course it would stand to reason that even people from the peaceful Land of Silver might have heard of him.

"Yeah, maybe you're right," Kaoru said, but he didn't sound convinced. "One arm's more dramatic anyway."

Kakashi knew he shouldn't, but he still felt offended. Was having one eye not good enough for them?

"That was that guy from the Leaf, right? Wasn't he pretty famous?"

Hideki that time. Kakashi was regretting bringing up the war more and more with every minute, but he couldn't think of a way to steer the conversation away from it without being obvious. He supposed he could pretend he didn't want to talk about it because a family member had died, but he wasn't sure he could come up with a solid backstory that quickly.

Kakashi shrugged. "I don't know. I've never heard of him. Are you sure he wasn't from Suna? They're supposed to have some pretty strong ninja."

Hideki shook his head. "Nah, I'm almost positive he's from the Leaf. Or at least he was. He's probably dead now if you haven't heard of him."

Kaoru nodded. "Yeah, I know who you're talking about. That white-haired guy. I think he's the one-eyed guy I was talking about earlier. Except he had some sort of special jutsu in the dead eye, or something like that."

Hideki turned to Kakashi. "I thought you said the guy had one arm."

Kakashi shrugged. "I thought he did." He needed to end this conversation. Fast.

"Oh, now I remember who you're talking about!" he said, faking an epiphany because really, he knew _exactly _who the one-eyed white-haired man was, but he wasn't about to explain that. "His name was Kakashi Hatake."

Recognition flickered across Kaoru's face. "Yeah, that was it. Kakashi Hatake. Whatever happened to him?"

"He's dead," Kakashi said, praying that they would believe him. "I heard he died on a mission a year or so after the war. Something unceremonial. I think he fell and hit his head on a rock, or something anticlimactic and un-ninja-like like that." He didn't want to seem like he knew _too _much, but he wanted to make sure all talk of Kakashi Hatake was stopped.

Hideki laughed. "What an idiot. That's a lame way to die. Especially for an elite shinobi. Let's hope we don't end up like that, eh?"

"No kidding," Kaoru snorted, and started talking about how he thought some of their fellow recruits were totally incompetent. Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief. His secret was safe—at least for now.

He just had to hold on for a few more days. Then, when he had the information he needed, he could start to plan his escape.

* * *

"Found anything useful?" Sasuke asked, after he managed to escape from Sasaki.

He'd wandered over to where Sai and Naruto were lounging about by the bar. Much to his annoyance, Sasuke had found that the girls in attendance were hanging on him just like his pre-genin days.

_This _was exactly why he didn't sing in public. Or at all.

"Please say you have. I'm getting real tired of this mission already."

Naruto and Sai shook their heads.

"Nothing," the blonde said glumly. "There's no one here that seems like they could even use a substitution jutsu, let alone land a successful attack on the royal family."

Sasuke sighed. "That's what I was afraid of. Looks like we'll be coming back soon."

Damn Kakashi for not finding anything yet. Sasuke did _not _want to have to perform again for these idiots. Maybe Sakura would be back by then. But he wasn't going to count on it. After all, it would seem suspicious now if he were to suddenly start slinking around the party while someone else performed in his stead.

"Damn."

"Ah, cheer up, Sasuke! It's not that bad. It beats sitting around the village with nothing to, right?"

"You say that when _you're _the one up there performing," Sasuke snapped.

"Well _you're _the one who said I'd make everyone go deaf if I sang."

"That's because you would," Sai pointed out unhelpfully. Sasuke could tell his blonde best friend was starting to get riled up. They were all beginning to feel the frustration of another unsuccessful mission.

Sasuke was about to tell them both to calm down, they were giving him a headache, but he never had to.

Because that was when the first explosion went off.

**~A/N: hahaha poor Sasuke. I love messing with him. The idea for this little bit came from a conversation I had with a friend once about the top (mis)uses of the Sharingan (It stemmed from a discussion about what would happen if Sasuke gave Naruto one of his eyes, and she said he would misuse it), and I said you could use it to mimic what someone was saying and drive them crazy, which led to a discussion of whether it could be used to mimic their exact voice...and this is what popped into my head. Not really sure why, but it amuses me :)**

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed/followed/favorited either me or the story! It means a lot! I also always enjoy talking with you guys, so feel free to ask me questions, make comments, discuss theories, or whatever :D**


	10. Revelations

**Ten: Revelations**

"Get down!" Sasuke commanded, his voice calm and authoritative amongst the sounds of screams and destruction.

Naruto and Sai were already on their feet again, searching for whoever had caused the explosion. Sasuke, meanwhile, was taking charge of the civilians' evacuation.

_The royal family! Shit. _

"Naruto! Sai! Go find those kids at the table and get them out of here! They're the Sasaki kids and they're in danger as long as they're here! I'll go find Lord Sasaki and his wife!"

Sai nodded, confirming he'd heard the order, as Sasuke took off into the smoke.

"Naruto," the pale shinobi said, turning to his comrade. "Find the kids and bring them back here. I'll work on drawing something that can get us out of here."

"Right." The blonde nodded and followed Sasuke into the fray.

The smoke stung at his eyes, and Naruto found it hard to not only see where he was going, but to breathe. The explosion probably hadn't killed many people, but if it were meant to be a distraction, it had certainly worked. He was sure that everyone else would be disoriented and confused.

"A trap," he muttered. He thought about warning Sasuke, but he knew his friend would have already figured that out long before he himself had.

_Just find the kids. That's your mission. Leave the rest to your teammates. _

"Damn it all! I can't see a thing!"

He cursed the density of the smoke as it surrounded him. He would have gone into sage mode, but he couldn't stay stationary long enough. Not when the enemy could be lurking around somewhere.

Just when he thought his eyes couldn't take the sting any longer, a large gust of wind came and blew the smoke away. Naruto blinked, and when his vision cleared, he saw Temari standing in front of him.

"Temari! Thanks. You blew away the smoke with your wind chakra, didn't you?"

"Yes, you idiot. And I'm surprised_ you _haven't done that already. I seem to recall you proclaiming to be the strongest wind-style user in the Allied Shinobi Forces just a few years ago."

"Give him a break, Temari. He may be the strongest, but he's definitely not the smartest," Shikamaru said, coming up to stand beside the sandy-haired kunoichi. "What do you need us to do?"

"Can you make sure everyone gets out okay? We have to protect the royal family, but I don't want all these other people to get hurt either."

"Right," Shikamaru nodded. "Not a problem. Temari?"

"Let's go."

Naruto watched his friends disappear, Temari clearing the smoke as they went. With her advice in mind, Naruto formed a simple rasengan and used it to cut through the smoke as he made his way to the area Sasuke had been in earlier.

Three kids—although it was tough to call them that when they looked close to his own age—were standing next to a table, backs to each other, looking as if they were ready to fight anyone who came near them.

"Back off," the one with the darkest hair threatened. Naruto suspected he was the eldest of the trio.

"Easy," the blonde said, dissipating his rasengan and holding up his hands in a placating manner. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm one of the ninja your father hired. You met my friend earlier. Dark-haired? Kind of sulky?"

The two brown-haired teenagers smirked, and Naruto knew he had the right family.

"Come on. I'm going to get you out of here."

* * *

Sasuke noticed that the smoke was clearing a lot faster than it would have naturally, and he wondered if that was Shikamaru and Temari's doing. He wouldn't have been surprised. The two geniuses would have thought to clear the air right away. He was thankful for the first time that night that the pair had decided to drop in.

One he'd activated the Sharingan, Sasuke had a much easier time locating Lord and Lady Sasaki. They were hiding in a back room. And they were right to, Sasuke thought. Because he could make out the form of another figure creeping around back there.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked, jumping in front of a masked man. His clothing seemed familiar, and Sasuke suspected that he might formerly have been a Hidden Mist ANBU, but he couldn't be sure.

"I would ask you the same, but even I know Sasuke Uchiha when I see him," the man said.

"I see my reputation precedes me," Sasuke said with a smirk. "Do you still wish to engage me?"

"I have no quarrel with you, but I have been hired to kill Tanosuke Sasaki and all who stand in my way of that goal, so if you don't move, I'll be forced to take action."

"Hm. You know who I am, and yet you still want to fight me? Stupid. _Chidori!_"

The man barely had time to think before he was stabbed clean through by the technique. Sasuke scoffed. He hadn't even had to use the Mangekyo Sharingan. How boring.

"You can come out now!" he called to the couple hiding behind him. "I can assure you it's safe."

Lord Sasaki snuck out of the small room he'd been hidden in, followed by his wife.

"Who was that man?" Sasaki asked, coming to look over Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke shrugged. "You'd have more answers than me. But if I had to guess, I'd say he's a missing-nin from the Hidden Mist."

"Hidden Mist? We should bring his body back for an autopsy," Sasaki said, glancing over the body of the failed assassin.

Sasuke nodded. It would be a start. He bent forward to pick up the corpse when he heard a sizzling sound. His eyes widened as his Sharingan took in exactly what was about to happen.

"Get back _now!" _

He wasted no time in grabbing both Sasakis and hitting the ground. He rolled to his feet, performing the hand signs for a fireball jutsu to block the oncoming flames from the assassin's explosion.

"Well," he muttered as he dusted soot off his arms, "at least we can be fairly certain that that man once came from the Hidden Mist. Only they have such developed methods for destroying their own corpses."

"Sasuke!" Sai called, running over to them. "Naruto got out with the others. It's just us left. Did you catch the person who did this?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I killed him, but the body was destroyed before we could gather anything useful from it."

"Hidden Mist?"

"Hidden Mist."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now I suppose."

Sasuke nodded curtly. "Yeah, you're right. Let's just get out of here and regroup. Then we'll figure out what to do from there."

He hoped Shikamaru and Temari were still around. He wouldn't mind having the input of a few more geniuses.

* * *

Kakashi held his breath as he stood in the back of the room with all the other recruits, awaiting the arrival of their mysterious leader. He didn't know if they were going to meet the rebellion's number one—he suspected they weren't—but whoever it was had to be important to garner this much secrecy.

Sure enough, when the man came out, Kakashi recognized his face. Jin Takahashi. He'd been in the Bingo Book before, but where he'd initially come from escaped him at the moment. He didn't have one of the higher bounties in the Book, but the fact that his face was even in there at all meant that he was strong.

The Copy Ninja was going to have to be on his guard even more than he'd thought.

As the black-haired man came out and started examining the recruits, Kakashi found himself very glad that he'd decided to stand in the back. He know he didn't look exactly like himself any longer, but his height was still a bit taller than average and there was no way for him to fake having another eye without the use of a genjutsu, so he was just going to have to remain as inconspicuous as possible.

"Good evening," Takahashi started, and the room suddenly grew deathly quiet. "I want to thank you all for volunteering to fight with us."

_Us. That means he's probably not the leader. _

"Regrettably, our leader could not be with us tonight, but our second-in-command, and the man that you will be taking most of your orders from when the time comes will be arriving tonight to oversee the final day of your training. You may know his name. Kenji Mizushima."

That led to hushed whispering among the recruits, for it seemed even they knew Kenji Mizushima. Kakashi knew him too. He was a very powerful rogue shinobi, and widely considered the strongest the Land of Silver had ever seen. But without a hidden village, he'd taken to wandering and doing jobs of questionable morality.

Kakashi frowned. If he were involved in the rebellion, things were not going to be as simple as he'd hoped.

Kakashi closed his eye and tried to bring a picture of Mizushima to his mind, but it wasn't cooperating with him today. It had been a long time since he'd last looked through the Bingo Book—he hadn't felt the need to over the past few years—and he was beginning to regret his slacking off.

He seemed to recall that Mizushima had somewhat eccentric red hair, and Kakashi hoped that would allow him to recognize him before he ran into him. That was an encounter he wanted to avoid at all costs. He was fairly certain that a ninja like Kenji Mizushima would recognize him right away. The Copy Ninja had been in the Bingo Book since he was a child, after all.

Surely he had enough information by now. Sasaki would be able to act, knowing the names of two of the opposition's main leaders. Even if he couldn't discover who the actual man in charge was, this was more than enough. If he stayed much longer, Kakashi would risk blowing his cover, and then he wouldn't be of use to anybody.

Suddenly, he realized that Takahashi had stopped talking, and was now weaving his way through the recruits, looking at the men that would become his soldiers.

Takahashi stopped in front of Kakashi, narrowing his eyes as he looked him over.

"One eye, huh? You can fight like that?"

"Yes sir."

"How'd you lose it?"

"An accident when I was a child, sir. My older brother and I were sparring, and well, you know how things go."

"Ah." Takahashi inclined his head, but Kakashi got the feeling he didn't entirely believe him. He knew he was probably being paranoid, but his gut hadn't failed him yet. He was still alive after all.

"You remind me of that Leaf shinobi," Takahashi continued. "The one with that implanted Sharingan in his left eye. The Copy Ninja whatever."

Kakashi froze, cursing the fact that there weren't any other one-eyed ninja around.

Still, he forced himself to laugh. "Well I'm not sure what a Sharingan is, sir, but if it could get me back my eyesight I'd gladly take one."

Takahashi smirked, but there was still suspicion in his gaze. "Well, I wouldn't be too sure about that."

Kakashi didn't let himself relax until Takahashi was all the way down the line. That man was getting far too suspicious, and he was worried now that Kaoru or Hideki would think something was off about their lunchtime conversation. And with Kenji Mizushima coming in later that night, Kakashi couldn't afford to stick around much longer.

He needed to get out of there, and he needed to get out of there _fast._

* * *

Sure enough, Sasuke found both Shikamaru and Temari calmly assessing the situation when he and Sai arrived. Naruto, unsurprisingly, was freaking out.

"Sasuke! Glad you're okay. But what happened? Did someone attack? I didn't see anyone during dinner, so where did they come from? Is the royal family alright?"

"_Naruto!" _four voices rang out at once, shutting the blonde jinchuriki up.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly.

"What do you think?" Sasuke asked, ignoring his friend and going straight to Shikamaru. If anyone would have any idea about what had just happened, it would be him.

The brown-haired shinobi shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. It was definitely exploding tags, but from what I can tell, the intent was to make a diversion, not to kill anybody."

"Hm," Sasuke frowned. "So then why send the assassin if whoever did this didn't want anyone to die?"

"Beats me," Shikamaru said, "unless they wanted to make sure only a _certain _person died."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "So you're saying…"

Shikamaru nodded. "I think the real culprit behind this was someone in that room."

"It looks like Lord Sasaki wasn't paranoid after all," Sasuke muttered, looking over at the dark-haired man. He was fussing over his wife and younger kids, making sure they were all uninjured from the attack.

Sasuke didn't particularly like the man—he hadn't given him a good first impression—but that didn't mean the guy deserved to die.

"So what are we gonna do?" Naruto asked, following Sasuke's gaze over to the family. "As long as we don't catch the people who did this, they're still in danger, right?"

"I'm afraid so. And there's no telling who was behind the attack. There are too many people here." Shikamaru let out a long breath. "I sure am glad this isn't _my _mission. Seems like this one is shaping up to be long haul. What a drag."

Sasuke closed his eyes. That was what he'd been afraid of earlier. Getting sucked into whatever conspiracy was taking root in the Land of Silver. He'd had a hunch that something bigger was going on here the second he'd heard Kakashi was having trouble pinpointing anything having to do with the rebel army. He just hadn't wanted to get involved. He quite liked his peaceful existence back in the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

"Sasuke?" Naruto prodded.

"As team captain, the decision is up to you," Sai said.

Sasuke rubbed the palms of his hands against his eyes, a bit sore from using the Sharingan. He was getting rusty. He barely used the Sharingan at all, let alone a high-level technique like Amaterasu or Susanoo, and he was already a bit worn out.

Maybe he'd become too dependent on Sakura's healing over the years.

He didn't want to become embroiled in a battle in a land far from his home, for a family he didn't really care about. In fact, he'd go as far as to say he _disliked _them. Sure, he hadn't spoken many words to the Sasakis, but there was something about their attitude that he didn't like. At all.

_They remind you too much of your lost clan. _

Sasuke refused to listen to the little voice inside his head. The resemblance to his lost family had nothing to do with the mission. Nothing at all. He just didn't like the idea of someone suffering when he could easily do something about it. Maybe it was his penance, Sasuke didn't know, but whatever the reason, the dark-haired Uchiha sighed and turned back to his comrades.

"Alright, we'll stay. It's not like we can really leave them alone and unprotected in good conscience, is it?"

**A/N: Sakura will be back soon, I promise! And there is more action on the way ;) **

**On a side note, next week is KakaSaku week! I'm going to try to do the prompt everyday, so I may not be putting out a chapter for this story every other day like I've been doing lately. I've still been able to work ahead here, though, so this forewarning may be for nothing. I do have the entire "first arc" of this story planned out, which is through the next 6 chapters, so hopefully you'll at least get two chapters this week, in addition to my KakaSaku week stuff. The story will go up on Monday if you want to read it! And hopefully it'll be updated everyday! **


	11. Shadows

**~A/N: So originally I wasn't going to update until tomorrow, because I was tweaking a few placement things with this chapter and the next couple (I wrote Kakashi's storyline all at once then went back ad broke it up with the other characters' inserts), but then I wrote my one-shot for KakaSaku week and posted it and let me tell you, it was pure fluff. Like Wow. Lots of fluff. Sooooo much fluff (for me at least) that I was afraid I was gonna barf in my mouth. Okay that might be an exaggeration, but seriously, there's a reason I write action fics. I don't normally do the whole straight-up romance thing. If I do, it's gotta be like this story, where there's action and development, and then they get together. So anyway, I finished writing my first one-shot, and don't get me ****wrong, I loooved it, but then I felt the need to write some actiony/battly stuff because I was afraid I was starting to go soft, and therefore, you guys get another chapter!  
**

**So yeah, my KakaSaku week fic, Our Love, is up if you wanna check it out, _and _there's a new EoF chapter! I'm on a roll today! **

**Thanks to everyone who's been with me on this story-reviewing, favoriting, following. I hope you enjoy, especially now that the action is going to get rolling. A reunion between our two favorite characters is on the horizon! **

**Eleven: Shadows**

If Kakashi had had his way, he would've been out of there the second the recruits were dismissed, but as it was, he wasn't able to get away without attracting attention.

"Hey! Hiro!"

Hideki was waving to him, and Kakashi couldn't come up with an excuse to ditch him.

"What did Takahashi want to talk to you about? He _did _talk to you, right?"

"It was nothing really. Just making sure I wasn't too handicapped by the eye."

Kakashi attempted to wave it off like it was no big deal, and Hideki likely would have gone along with it, but Kaoru had other ideas.

"Well, it's a valid concern."

"It's like he's never seen another one-eyed ninja around," Hideki laughed.

"There _aren't _any other one-eyed ninja around, idiot."

"Well, besides that dead guy."

Kaoru sighed impatiently. "If he's dead, he's not _around, _is he?"

Hideki frowned. "Oh. I guess you're right. So do you guys want to grab some food?"

"We just ate! How can you be hungry again?"

Hideki smiled sheepishly. "I don't know. I just am. What about you, Hiro? You'll come eat with me, right?"

"Sure. Why not? I could eat."

Kakashi couldn't really come up with a plausible reason to excuse himself, and he figured he might as well get a good meal in while he could. If he had to flee all the way back to Konoha, it could be days before he got to eat anything other than rations.

The cafeteria was full of recruits eating dinner and discussing the meeting, so the three men decided to bring their food outside where it was quieter.

"I couldn't hear myself think!" Hideki complained as they sat down on some stones.

They talked for a while—thankfully not about any famous one-eyed ninja—while they ate. It was mostly rebellion stuff, and Kakashi was able to get a better idea of why the people were rebelling, at least.

It seemed many of them weren't happy with their wages as simple farmers and shopkeepers, although Kakashi found little sympathy for them because they were still paid almost as much as one of Konoha's shinobi. But the leaders had promised them more money, and that was enough to lure many young men to war.

"So who do you suppose the leader is, anyway?" Kakashi asked, figuring it was a safe question. Anyone would have been curious about that—not just a spy. "Do you think he's someone from one of the hidden villages?"

"I dunno," Hideki said with a full mouth. "He's gotta be if he's stronger than Kenji Mizushima. I remember hearing about him when I was a teenager. He always seemed so powerful."

Kaoru shook his head. "He doesn't necessarily have to be stronger, he just has to be a better leader. I'd be willing to bet the guy doesn't even fight at all and that's why he hasn't revealed himself."

"Hm," Kakashi said. It was interesting information, and Kaoru had a point. "He could just be keeping his identity a secret to protect himself from traitors or spies though."

"Yeah, but why would they bother with that now? I mean, we're all recruits. It's not like a spy could get in here," Hideki said.

"I wouldn't be too sure," Kaoru warned. "A good spy can infiltrate almost any location—even one of the hidden villages."

"Yeah, it's better safe than sorry," Kakashi said, acting like he agreed with Kaoru. He was beginning to grow a little wary of the blonde. He was more perceptive than Kakashi felt comfortable with, and he definitely had the suspicious nature of a ninja.

"I guess," Hideki sighed, reminding Kakashi a bit of Naruto when he was a kid. "But I'm still curious."

"We all are," Kaoru told him, "but we'll just have to be patient. The war will start soon, and then I'm sure he'll show himself."

Kakashi wanted to ask how long they thought it would be before the fighting began, but he knew they theoretically shouldn't know any more than he did. He'd already asked enough questions, and his gut was telling him he needed to stop. He'd aroused enough suspicion.

"Well, I think I'm going to hit the sack guys. I'm pretty worn out from our training session today."

That was a lie. Kakashi hadn't had a training session that easily since he was three—and maybe not even then. He knew for a fact he'd never had one in all his days as a shinobi, and he hadn't ever dreamed of insulting Team Seven when they were genin by giving them such easy exercises.

But he had an act to keep up here, and being seemingly without a left eye, he wanted to make himself appear to be as weak as possible, while still being strong enough to fight in the rebellion.

"Yeah I don't blame you," Hideki groaned. "I'm pretty worn out, myself. How about you, Kaoru?"

The blonde shook his head. "No, you two go ahead. There's something I want to check out."

"What?" Hideki asked, but Kaoru simply waved him off.

"It's nothing."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. If it _was_ just nothing, then why the need for all the secrecy? Then he shook his head, wondering if he was letting paranoia get to him.

But every fiber of his being was telling him that it was time to get out of there. He had what he came for, so there was no need to stick around. He would make his escape as soon as the other recruits went to bed.

* * *

It was well past midnight by the time Kakashi finally packed up his few supplies and snuck quietly out of his tent, careful not to wake the three other recruits that were still sleeping inside. He'd left his pack with his ANBU mask and gear outside the genjutsu, and he sincerely hoped it was still there. If it wasn't, he was going to have to stop for supplies somewhere, and that wouldn't be good if he happened to be followed.

Still, he was hopeful that it would still be there. After all, if one of the rebels had found gear clearly belonging to a Konoha shinobi, Kakashi was sure he would have been discovered already. They wouldn't have let him get all that information on purpose, and they certainly wouldn't have let him see Jin Takahashi's face or let him hear about Kenji Mizushima.

Briefly he wondered if the whole setup could have been a trap designed to feed him false information, but he shook his head, reminding himself that he wasn't dealing with another ninja village here, he was dealing with an army. They were more concerned about military might than sneaky tactics.

Kakashi had a pretty good idea of the nighttime guard rotation from the month he'd spent among the rebels, and luckily for him, his attentiveness paid off. There was no one in sight when he stepped out of the tent and made his way to the edge of the camp.

The leaders seemed to be fairly confident that their genjutsu would keep any unwanted guests out—and to be fair, if Kakashi hadn't been an elite jonin, it would've kept him out too—so the camp remained mostly unguarded as he made his escape. He'd gone almost the whole way, and was about to step outside of the genjutsu when he heard a stick snap behind him.

He spun around. "Who's there?"

Kaoru stepped out of the shadows, and too late, Kakashi realized he should've faked sleepwalking. But it probably wouldn't have helped. He would've had to go back to his tent, and then Kaoru would have been more suspicious than he already seemed to be.

"What are you doing out here, Hiro?"

Kakashi didn't miss the skeptical tone Kaoru's voice had taken when he said his name.

"Going to the bathroom." It was a weak excuse, and Kakashi didn't think he'd buy it for a second.

"All the way out here? At the edge of camp?"

"I wanted some alone time."

"Right. Why don't we cut the act?"

"Fine," Kakashi said, opening his left eye and exposing his Sharingan for the first time in over a month.

Even though he'd been suspicious, Kaoru's face still registered the shock of seeing the Sharingan in person. He stumbled back a few feet and let out a soundless cry of surprise.

"It _is _you."

Kakashi didn't bother saying anything. It was unfortunate, but Kaoru had seen him, so now he had to be taken care of.

"Oi! Over here!" Kaoru managed to shout before he was quieted by a fist to the gut.

A second blow sent him sprawling out of range, and Kakashi hesitated for a brief second, torn between finishing him off and making his escape. If he let Kaoru live, his identity would be exposed much sooner, but on the other hand, Kakashi knew it would become fairly obvious what had happened one he was discovered to be the one missing.

There weren't that many one-eyed ninja out there.

He could hear voices and footsteps coming towards them, and that sealed the deal for the Copy Ninja. Without looking back, he turned and fled straight for Konoha. He'd been hoping for an easy and leisurely journey back, but he knew better than most that a shinobi rarely got what he wanted.

* * *

"Thanks for sticking around for a bit longer. I know it's your vacation," Naruto said to the couple standing in front of him as he and Sai prepared to depart for the Hidden Leaf village.

They had all agreed that it would be best for the trio of Team Seven shinobi to stay in the Land of Silver and protect the Sasaki family—at least until they could figure out who was behind the attacks. At first, they'd been sure it was the rebel army, but Shikamaru was sure that the culprit had to have been somebody in the room, and Shikamaru's analysis was very rarely wrong.

"Yeah, yeah. I knew this was going to be a drag when I agreed to stop here in the first place," the brown-haired genius complained, but Temari slapped him across the back of the head.

"It's not a problem, Naruto. We'll stay here and help Sasuke in case something happens. You and Sai just worry about reporting back to the Hokage."

"What village do you work for anyway?" Shikamaru grumbled, but shut up quickly when he saw Temari's glare. He didn't fancy getting hit over the head again.

"Right," Naruto said, and Sai nodded next to him. "You can count on us!"

After they said goodbye to Shikamaru and Temari, who were going to find a place to stay for another couple weeks, Sasuke walked over to his two friends.

"Be careful. We don't know if the enemy has eyes out there or not."

Naruto laughed. "You're the one that needs to be careful, Sasuke. You're staying with the targets."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Still. This may be bigger than we initially thought. If Kakashi hasn't found anything yet…who knows what that could mean?"

"Don't worry about Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said fiercely. "If he hasn't gotten that intel yet then I'm sure there's a good reason for it."

"Perhaps he's—"

"No!" Naruto and Sasuke both shouted, cutting off what Sai was about to say.

"He's fine. Kakashi-sensei wouldn't go dying on some stupid mission like this," Naruto said.

"Sorry. It was simply a thought," Sai said. If he was capable of feeling bad, the former foundation agent was sure he would.

"Anyway, you two need to get going. If you hurry, you should be able to make it back to the village in five days."

"Right," Naruto said, nodding to his best friend. "Take care, Sasuke."

Sasuke inclined his head. "You guys too."

"Try not to take _all _of the action, okay?"

Sasuke grinned. "Guess you'd better hurry, then, hn?"

* * *

"Are you ready?" Yamato asked, crouched next to Sakura above their targets.

"Yeah," Sakura nodded.

"Nervous?"

"A little." Sakura felt no need to lie with her former captain. "I know this isn't an S-ranked mission, but it's still my first."

Yamato inclined his head. "Well, for what it's worth. I think you'll do perfectly fine."

She grinned, but didn't let the compliment go to her head. The last thing she needed was to get cocky. Cockiness led to letting your guard down—something a ninja should never do.

"Now!"

Sakura closed her eyes and allowed herself to drop to the ground. Snapping them open, she took in the appearances of the five enemies standing around her.

She grinned. This was going to be fun.

* * *

Kakashi had barely had time to grab his pack and don his ANBU mask before taking to the trees again. He wanted to put some distance between himself and the pursuers he knew would be coming.

He wouldn't have bothered with the mask, but it would keep people from bothering him in other countries if they saw him wearing it, and Kakashi knew he had to get back to the Hidden Leaf as soon as possible. The information he had was vital, and he was worried the rebels might make some sort of drastic move now that they knew he had the names and location of two of the rebellion's major players.

The sooner he got home the better.

Plus, he wouldn't mind a nice hot bath, and he really wanted to wash that damn hair dye out of his hair. No offense to Yamato, but brown hair wasn't really his thing. At least he'd been able to take his hair out of the short ponytail he'd kept it in during the mission.

Kakashi rolled his eyes at the fact that he'd let his hair get long enough to pull back into a ponytail. He would go to Sakura as soon as he turned in his report and have her cut his hair. He'd cut it himself, but he was beginning to think that he'd let it get a little _too _long this time, and he wasn't sure he could handle it.

Assassins? No problem. But his unruly hair? No thank you. That was one enemy he had no desire to face.

He kept his face for the remainder of the night and all through the next day, stopping only for quick breathers when he came across a stream to drink from. Using the Sharingan, he checked behind him every so often, and by the time he stopped for the night—nearly twenty-four hours after his initial escape—he was fairly certain that he'd lost them. It would have been nice to have the Byakugan to confirm, but Kakashi was fairly confident that he'd bought himself at least a few hours of sleep.

Wearily, he summoned Pakkun and asked the small pug to keep watch and wake him after a few hours. Pakkun barely had time to nod before Kakashi was asleep against the nearest tree. The pug rolled his eyes. His master was always overworking himself, even when he wasn't using his Sharingan.

"Get some rest, Kakashi. You look like you need it."

Being told he looked like he needed sleep by a dog. That might have been a new low

* * *

Kakashi was awakened five hours later by a rough tongue lapping at his face. Grimacing, he sat up, wiping at where Pakkun had just been licking.

"You really haven't been getting your sleep, eh?" the pug asked, and Kakashi swore that if dogs could smirk, Pakkun would have been doing so right then.

"Remind me why I summoned you again," Kakashi grumbled, readjusting his forehead protector and getting slowly to his feet. The previous day's journey had made him more sore than he'd realized.

After a quick bite to eat from one of his rations, Kakashi set off again. Thanks to his pace yesterday, he was only a day out from Fire country. From there it would be another couple days to Konoha, but he would rest easier once he was in his own territory. There would be other ninja about, and he didn't know if the rebels would be willing to leave the borders of the Land of Silver, even if it was to catch him.

"Well, I guess I better get started," he said, shouldering his pack and setting off for another day of running.


	12. Exhaustion

**Twelve: Exhaustion**

The mission had gone as well as Sakura could have hoped. Neither she nor Captain Yamato had sustained any real injuries—just a few scrapes and bruises that hadn't even been worth healing—and currently they were making their way back to Konoha with a scroll containing important trade information.

She couldn't help her grin. After all, she _had _just completed her first ANBU mission, and even if it wasn't actually S-ranked, she knew those would come in time. This had just been a first stepping-stone, but it was important that she show how capable she was.

Sakura allowed her thoughts to wander as they got closer and closer to Fire territory. A part of her consciousness always remained aware of her surroundings—they were in Hidden Rain territory, after all—but it was sort of like singing along to a song when you already know all the words by heart. She was still doing the action, even if she didn't realize it.

She thought about how proud Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai would be of her. Naruto would probably insist on getting Ichiraku's to celebrate, and Sasuke would grimace, with it being the fifth time that week already that Naruto had forced them into getting ramen. Still, they would go anyway, and Naruto would brag to everyone about how he had the best team.

Well, to be fair, he did that anyway, but at least now she would feel more like she was a part of it. Sai would join in, even if he didn't completely know what he was doing, and Sasuke would give her a small, yet knowing, smile. And Kakashi…

She had no idea when he would be back from his mission. He was still updating the Hokage regularly, but last she'd heard, because he had yet to find any information on who the rebels might be, he was going to have to stay in the Land of Silver.

She wondered if he would be proud of her.

"What are you taking so seriously over there?" Yamato's voice brought her back to reality. "You just finished your first ANBU mission, you should look happier."

He was teasing her, and she welcomed it with a smile. She was glad he'd been at her side through all of it. Despite how quickly she'd finished it, the ANBU training had been more difficult than she'd anticipated, but having her friend there with her had made it much better.

She wondered if they would stay partners. She knew that Yamato and Kakashi had been partners before, and she didn't want to break up a good team now that Kakashi was back if Yamato wanted to work with him again.

"I'm just wondering how the boys will react," Sakura said in response to the brown-haired ninja's question.

"Well, Naruto will probably want to get ramen."

Sakura laughed, but stopped suddenly as she sensed something behind them. One look at Yamato's expression told her he'd noticed it too.

They were being followed.

* * *

Kakashi didn't think he'd ever been so happy to see the gates of Konoha come into view. He was beyond exhausted—he knew his chakra levels were dangerously low—and he really wanted a shower.

He didn't even bother checking in with the gatekeepers—it was a couple of chuunin he didn't recognize—and kept walking straight to his apartment. The gatekeepers didn't stop him. He'd taken off his ANBU mask once he'd gotten into Fire territory, and he was easily one of the most recognizable shinobi in the village, even with his new hair color. He _was_ the captain of Konoha's most famous team.

"Kakashi! You're back!" a voice called out as he made his way up the stairs to the small apartment that he'd lived in since he was a child.

"Genma," he nodded, waving at his bandana-wearing neighbor.

"How was the mission?" he asked with a wink.

Kakashi sighed. "Classified. You know, if I told you—"

"You'd have to kill me. Blah, blah. You'd never kill your old friend, would you?"

Kakashi fixed him with a look that would have made a chuunin run the opposite direction. Instead, it simply made Genma laugh.

"You haven't changed a bit! You're still just as moody as ever when you get back from an ANBU mission. Although I hadn't heard you were back on the roster until I ran into Naruto and he told me you were on a mission. I was surprised, I thought you were happy with Team Seven."

Kakashi shrugged. "I am happy with my team, but I think we were all starting to get a little restless this past year. It was time for a change."

"Yeah, I guess you aren't the only one who thought that, huh?"

"I guess not," Kakashi mumbled, but he had no idea what Genma was talking about. He was tired though, so he didn't ask.

Whatever it was, if it was important, he'd hear about it soon. He planned on staying in the village for a while. That last mission had really taken it out of him. Sakura was going to be furious with him. The food they'd been served for the past month hadn't exactly been healthy.

"Well, I've got to head over to the academy. Iruka's sick, so I've got to sub for one of his classes. Can you believe it? Me? Dealing with little brats? Whose bright idea was _that?_"

Kakashi smiled, waving goodbye to his talkative friend, secretly thankful that the senbon-chewing ninja had gone. He liked Genma, and generally enjoyed talking to him, but he was tired. He just wanted to take a shower, write his report, deliver it, then sleep for a week.

He unlocked the door to his apartment and went inside, dismayed to find that he'd left the place a mess. Frowning, he walked over to the fridge, grimacing when he opened it and found that he'd forgotten to clean it out before he left.

"Ugh, this looks like Naruto's," he said, grabbing a carton of two-month old milk.

The smell assaulted his nostrils, and Kakashi wondered if there was anyway to use spoiled milk as a weapon against their enemies. He had to say, he thought it would be effective.

After settling for some stale crackers and a glass of water, Kakashi set down at his desk to write up his mission report. Ordinarily, he would've allowed himself some time to recover before he attempted to start on it, but he figured Lord Sasaki was getting impatient. He'd kept the man waiting long enough.

He only managed to get a couple paragraphs in before the words started blurring and he found himself writing the same character over and over again. Sighing, Kakashi pushed his chair back from the desk and stood up. Grabbing a towel from one of the cabinets, he headed toward the bathroom to take a shower.

He wasn't getting anywhere with the mission report, so he'd clean up and then lay down for a bit. He'd feel better after a nap, and then he could finish the report with the detail and accuracy he knew he needed. There was no sense in doing something ineffectively the first time if it would need to be redone again later.

Kakashi had to wait a few minutes while the water ran in order to get the pressure working again. After a few months of no use, the plumbing clearly needed some time to get itself readjusted.

Once it was ready, Kakashi stepped under the showerhead, taking care to make sure his dyed-brown hair was getting thoroughly soaked. He then worked his soap into a lather and proceeded to rinse his hair five times before he was satisfied that the water was running clear. He knew he probably couldn't get all of the dye out in one go, but he wanted to get his hair back as close to his natural color as he could.

Feeling refreshed, Kakashi stepped out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel and headed straight for his bedroom. The curtains were still closed from when he'd left months ago, leaving the room in a dark tint, which made it easier for the Copy Ninja to pull on a pair of boxers and fall asleep the second his head hit the mattress.

He hadn't even bothered with a pillow.

* * *

Sakura casually let herself land closer to Yamato, moving her body so that they could talk without being overheard. She could have sworn that they'd taken out all of the ninja hired to protect the scroll, but apparently they'd missed a few.

Still, it wasn't that big of a surprise that a few of them were attempting to tail them back. They probably planned to sneak up on the pair when they made camp for the night.

She looked at Yamato and nodded. It was nothing they couldn't handle.

On his signal, Sakura came to a stop on one of the wider branches, using it to effortlessly swing herself to the ground. She landed gracefully out of a flip, fists bared and ready to fight.

She knew without looking that Yamato was beside her, watching her back and her blind spots, just like she was doing for him. All that training had to be good for something.

Just as they were about to turn to face their pursuers, a tall man with dark hair landed silently in front of him. Two men dropped on either side of him, and when the three that had been on their tail earlier came to stand in the clearing, the Konoha shinobi realized that they had walked into a trap.

* * *

Kakashi woke up the next morning. He hadn't planned on sleeping through the rest of the day and all night, but he'd been more exhausted than he thought. He was somewhat surprised that Tsunade hadn't sent anyone to get his mission report—he was sure she knew he was back by now—but the Hokage was a medic. Maybe she knew his chakra levels would be low and he'd need time to recover.

Regardless, he was feeling much better now—still not one hundred percent, but he'd say at least ninety. Sakura probably would have disagreed with him, but the Copy Ninja knew he'd be completely recovered if he just rested for another day. It wasn't like he'd had to use the Mangekyo Sharingan during his mission.

Kakashi poured himself another glass of water and frowned when he saw that a mystery plate of food had appeared on his table. He wondered who put it there, and more importantly, why he hadn't woken up to the sound of his apartment being broken into. He must have been more worn out than he'd thought.

The food wasn't from Ichiraku's, so Kakashi knew it wasn't Naruto. By extension, that meant it probably wasn't Sasuke or Sai either. He wondered if it had been Sakura, but she would have left a note.

He took in the bottle of sake that was sitting next to the food and grinned, knowing exactly who it was from.

_Genma. I'll have to remember to thank him next time I see him. _

Grabbing the food, but leaving the sake for later, Kakashi went over to his desk and proceeded to finish his report while he ate. It didn't seem nearly as hard when he was well-rested, and Kakashi finished the report in under an hour—a new record for him.

He didn't make it a secret that mission reports were his least favorite part of being a shinobi. He knew he could put it off on his subordinates to always do them for him, but Naruto and Sai were hopeless when it came to written stuff like that, and Sasuke had less patience than _he _did for the things. And it just didn't seem fair to force Sakura to do them all the time, although she did take care of a few of them for him every now and then.

Once he looked it over to make sure he hadn't left anything out, Kakashi got dressed in his spare uniform and made his way over to Hokage Tower. He didn't need to actually see the Hokage, he could come back and do that whenever, he just needed to drop off his report so she could look at it and forward it onto their client. Nothing Kakashi needed to involve himself in.

There _was_ the matter of him being recognized, but that could be dealt with whenever he went in for his debriefing. He'd included it in a note in addition to the report, so Tsunade would be informed about it.

So when Shizune asked him if it was urgent that he meet with the Hokage, Kakashi just shook his head and told her to pencil him in for whatever worked best for Tsunade, and took his leave.

Realizing he had yet to see a single one of his teammates, Kakashi decided to wander around the village a bit before heading back to his apartment. He wasn't tired, so he might as well see what his friends had been up to while he was away.

He found himself walking the familiar path to Ichiraku's. If Naruto happened to be out and about, Kakashi was fairly sure that he could find the blonde jinchuriki at his favorite restaurant. Sasuke swore that they ate there twice a day, and Kakashi didn't doubt it. He liked ramen as much as anyone, but Naruto's love for it was unhealthy. It was bordering on obsessive.

Sure enough, when Kakashi slid the flap aside and entered the stand, he found the blonde chowing down on yet another bowl of ramen. He was sitting in the exact same spot he'd been in when Kakashi left two months ago, and the silver-haired jonin wondered briefly if he'd left.

"Yo, Naruto. What's up?" he asked, sliding into the seat next to him.

"Kaka-sensei!" Naruto blurted, almost spitting his food all over his team leader. "You're back from your mission!"

"Yeah, I got back yesterday. I would have come to find you guys, but—"

"It's okay, Kakashi-sensei. You don't have to come up with one of your crazy excuses. You were probably just tired. I'm just glad you're back now! It's been pretty lonely since you left."

Kakashi laughed. "I'm sure you managed. Aren't you, Sasuke, and Sai joined at the hip anyway? And you've still got Sakura."

Naruto frowned. "But she's been gone almost as long as you have, Kakashi-sensei."

"Sakura? Why? Has she been on a mission with another team? Something hasn't happened to Ino, has it?" The only thing he could think of was that the pink-haired medic had had to fill in for her blonde friend on Shikamaru's team.

"No, she's been going through her ANBU training," Naruto said slowly, not sure why Kakashi had forgotten.

"_ANBU_?" he asked, his eye widening in shock. "She's in ANBU?"

Naruto looked down uncomfortably. "Yeah, she started her training with Captain Yamato right after you left. She said she told you…"

Naruto might have kept talking, but Kakashi didn't hear anything. He just kept replaying the conversation they'd had that day before he left over and over in his head. He was an idiot. Of course she'd been hinted about her joining ANBU. It was a logical way for her to prove herself against her male teammates.

"Where is she now?"

"She and Yamato are on a mission. Somewhere in the Hidden Rain village I think. She finished the training so fast, faster than anyone ever! At least that's what Yamato said."

But Kakashi hadn't heard the rest of Naruto's speech. He was too busy bolting out of the stand and out of the village. If they really were in Hidden Rain territory, they could be in trouble. That group of rogue ninja he'd heard about while he was in the Land of Silver might still be around, and besides, he had a few things he wanted to say to Yamato when he saw the man again.

Without a word to anyone about where he was going or what he was doing, Kakashi took off into the trees.

* * *

Yamato frowned as he moved to stand a little closer to Sakura, both of them feeling more reassured with the other near. He ghosted a hand across her forearm reassuringly, before focusing all his attention on the men in front of him.

It was odd, he thought. This mission, Sakura's first, was a fairly easy one. It wasn't even S-ranked. There shouldn't have been this many ninja guarding the scroll, and they certainly shouldn't have been able to hide from them that well while on the run. Yamato wasn't as good as Kakashi, but he was still one of the village's better trackers.

The man in front was the leader, he decided, seeing as the dark-haired man kept eyeing them up. The rest of his men looked competent, but they didn't seem like anything special. The two that stood nearest to the dark-haired man maybe. They both carried themselves with an air of superiority, something Yamato had found over the years was common in enemy shinobi.

"Interesting," the leader said, taking in the pair's appearance. "Who would have thought that we'd stumble upon the Copy Ninja's subordinates all the way out here?"

Yamato felt Sakura freeze next to him. Because they were still on their mission and outside of the village, both shinobi were still wearing their masks.

Seeing their surprise, the dark-haired man laughed. "Please, it wasn't that hard to figure out. After all, there is only one person alive who is able to use a wood-style jutsu, Yamato, and that pink hair isn't exactly hidden by your mask, Sakura Haruno. Nor is your superhuman strength."

"So who are you then?" Sakura asked feistily. "If you seem to know so much about us, you could at least tell us your name."

The leader laughed again. "I like you. You've got fire. I'm sure you'll be fun to break."

Yamato shifted instinctively closer to Sakura, reassuring her that he was there, but the girl didn't need it. Her gaze was fixed on her enemy and her enemy alone. Gone was the girl who would stay back in battles, being protected by her teammates.

"Takeo," he said. "Shunsui Takeo."

"And you're from Rain?" she asked, hoping to buy a bit more time and gather a bit more information before taking on their enemy outnumbered eight to two. "What are you after us for?"

Takeo smiled. "It was all luck, really. You see, with Rain being as unstable as it is, I decided that it would be way more beneficial to simply gather my own gang and act however I pleased. But that makes it a bit more difficult to find work, and without work, there is no money.

"So you can imagine my surprise when my little group just happened to stumble upon two of the infamous Kakashi Hatake's subordinates out on a mission. You know what sort of bounty money we could get by handing you over? It may be peacetime, but there are still plenty of criminals who would love to get their hands on you lot. Not to mention the secrets that you could divulge."

"Kakashi won't come for us, if that's what you're after," Sakura said uneasily. She didn't like the way the other men were creeping toward them.

Kakashi couldn't come, even if he wanted to. He was away on another mission. He'd never even know something had happened to them.

Takeo shrugged. "Well, it's no matter to me if he does or doesn't. The two of you will still fetch excellent bounties. And there's always the Nine-Tails jinchuriki and the last Uchiha who might come sniffing around if you two were to mysteriously disappear."

"Sakura," Yamato said.

She nodded. She didn't need to be told twice.

Before the enemy could make a move to stop her, Sakura had slammed her fist into the ground, creating a gigantic crater and momentarily knocking everyone off balance. Everyone except for Yamato and herself, that was. _They _had been expecting it.

They took advantage of their enemy's momentary distraction, surging forward and hoping to put some distance between them. They didn't know how desperate Takeo and his gang would be, but if they pursued them into Fire Territory at least Sakura and Yamato would have the advantage.

Unfortunately, Takeo wouldn't be slowed down for long.

"After them!" he shouted, before taking off in pursuit of the two Konoha ninja himself.

Yamato tried using wood-style to slow them down, but the Hidden Rain shinobi were fast. At the pace he and Sakura had to keep in order to stay ahead of them, there was no way he could fight back.

And that wasn't their only problem. Their prior mission hadn't been too difficult, but they still hadn't slept in almost twenty-four hours, and they'd been on the move for almost twelve. Their fatigue was bound to catch up to them much quicker than it would catch up to their pursuers.

"Yamato?" Sakura asked breathlessly next to him. "We can't keep this pace much longer."

"I know. We don't have a choice. We'll have to fight them."

Sakura nodded, swallowing her fear.

"Remember when you said my first mission was going to be easy?" she grumbled, looking back at their attackers. These odds were no different than the ones she'd faced in the war. This was nothing she couldn't handle.

That was the mantra she kept repeating to herself as the first wave of attackers hit.


	13. Overwhelmed

**Thirteen: Overwhelmed**

Yamato had managed to dispatch the first two quickly enough, but it was the next two men that were giving him problems. Unlike their counterparts, these two seemed to posses a brain, which made dodging his attacks quite a bit easier.

The brown-haired shinobi sighed. Was it too much to ask for _all_ his enemies to have Naruto's IQ?

He spared Sakura a quick glance, making sure the pink-haired girl was all right. He didn't want to think about what her boys would do to him if she got hurt…or worse. He _especially _didn't want to think about what Kakashi would do to him if he didn't protect their precious medic.

Yamato shuddered involuntarily. He may have been facing difficult odds against an enemy that wanted to capture him, but the thought of his sempai's reactions still frightened him more.

He heard someone grunt in pain behind him, and he knew another had fallen victim to one of Sakura's punches. A fist grazed his stomach, and the wood user turned his full attention back to his own fight. If Sakura was going to hold up her end, then he sure as hell wasn't going to let her down on his.

* * *

Sakura knew Yamato was dealing with the four men that had gone after him. She could see him every now and then as he danced his way into her peripheral vision—they had both forgone their masks when they realized the enemy knew who they were. She couldn't spare him a full glance of course, but she trusted the captain. He would get the job done.

Only three of the men were attacking her. Takeo had decided to sit back and leave the dirty work to his henchmen. That was fine with Sakura. Three was more than enough for her to handle in her current, fatigued state, and she wasn't going to complain if one of them decided it wasn't worth the effort to attack her.

It was a mistake he would regret later, but that wasn't her problem.

She gasped, almost crying out in pain when she felt something sharp slice into her side. Sakura fell back, clutching her torso. It was a good thing she had her ANBU armor on, or the injury might have been a lot worse. As a medic, she knew exactly how badly that misstep on her part could have gone. Sometimes she regretted knowing all that she did about injuries when she was the one fighting.

Angry at herself for letting her guard down, she quickly dispatched the man who'd sliced into her, grabbing his arm and hurling him into another who was advancing on her. They crumpled down in a heap. One of them, Sakura knew, wouldn't be getting up for a long time. She smiled to herself as she whipped around to face her third opponent.

Suddenly, she felt an intense pain in her shoulder, and Sakura found her arm being twisted painfully behind her back. A cold metal tip of a kunai blade was pressed to her throat, and she knew she was in trouble.

"Stop fighting and surrender, or your partner dies!" Takeo's voice rang out clearly, causing Yamato to drop the hold he had on his opponent as soon as he saw his pink-haired teammate in the clutches of the enemy leader.

Realizing he had no other choice, the ANBU captain slowly raised his hands in the air.

"Get down on your knees. Someone bind his hands with chakra rope," he barked, as Yamato complied with his demands.

His dark eyes met Sakura's green ones, and he sent her what he hoped was a reassuring look. To be honest, he didn't really know what to do—the mission they had gone on was supposed to be a simple retrieval one—but he was the captain and it was his job to keep his teammates safe.

The man he'd knocked out before was just about to tie his hands when something moved out of the shadows and crashed right into Takeo. As soon as Sakura was no longer his hostage, Yamato wasted no time in using a jutsu to smash the nearest opponent with a wooden beam. It was unfortunate that it happened to be the same one who had just woken up.

But Yamato had no sympathy for these Rain ninja. Not after they had threatened his partner.

He glanced over at their mysterious rescuer, and his mouth quirked upward in a smirk. So it had been Kakashi after all. He'd thought there had been a flash of silver in that shadow, but since it was a site he was so used to seeing on ANBU missions, he wasn't sure if he'd imagined it or not.

Kakashi was fighting three men now, and at the rate that he kept knocking them down, Yamato knew his sempai was furious. Somewhere, at the back of his mind, he wondered how the silver-haired man had known they would be in trouble, but he would worry about that after the fight. They were still outnumbered, and from the look of pain he'd seen on her face, Yamato suspected that Takeo had dislocated Sakura's shoulder.

"Not another move, Hatake! I mean it!" They both turned toward the sound of the leader's voice, only to see him holding Sakura by the hair and brandishing one of his men's fallen daggers.

"Don't think I won't kill her right here if you even breathe wrong!" Takeo's voice was starting to sound hysterical as he yanked Sakura's head back even farther until she let out a yelp.

As if to prove a point, Takeo took the dagger and buried it deep into Sakura's right arm. She let out a howl of pain, dropping to her knees and grabbing her upper arm just below the wound. She kicked her leg out, causing her captor to fall back, and creating an opening.

Kakashi charged Takeo, tackling him to the ground before running him through with his Chidori. The Rain leader hadn't known what hit him. Seeing their leader fall, and fearing the wrath of the great Copy Ninja, the rest of his gang turned and fled, and while Yamato wanted to go after them—knowing they could still cause problems down the road if they regained their strength—Sakura was more important right then.

The pink-haired girl gritted her teeth as she yanked the dagger out of her arm, hissing in pain as the blood started to flow again. Yamato had dropped to one knee, one arm on her back to support her.

"What do you need, Sakura?"

"A bandage would be nice. And you don't happen to have any painkillers on you, do you?"

Yamato shook his head. "Sorry. No painkillers. But I'm sure we can find something to use as a bandage."

"Use this," Kakashi said gruffly, handing Yamato a ripped off portion of his headband, which he passed along to Sakura.

"Thanks," Sakura said. "And thanks, you know, for saving us."

Kakashi stared at her for a few seconds, his headband gone but his Sharingan closed, before giving her a jerky nod and going back to searching Takeo's body.

Even though the shoulder was stiff and out of place, Sakura forced herself to bring her left arm up to heal the wound on her right. It didn't take long, but she'd needed to stop the bleeding before she found herself in danger of passing out. She still needed to check and see if either Yamato or Kakashi had any wounds that needed healing.

Yamato tied Kakashi's headband over the wound when she finished, and Sakura let her left arm drop to her side with an exasperated sigh.

"We really should put your shoulder back in place," Yamato said, looking at the unnatural angle it was sticking out at now that her arm was back resting by her side.

Tiredly, Sakura nodded as the brown-haired ninja came to stand behind her.

"On three," he said, and she took a deep breath.

"One, two, three."

There was a loud crack and a few seconds of pain, then all Sakura felt was relief. She rolled the shoulder experimentally, making sure that all of the joins were in place. It felt all right, for the most part, so she didn't question it.

"Are you injured at all?" she asked, allowing her gaze to roam over her teammate.

Yamato shook his head. "I'm fine. You're the one who had to fight the tough one."

Sakura smiled. "Yeah, well next time we fight, when I'm not the newbie, I'll let you have him, deal?"

Yamato laughed, but was cut short by Kakashi suddenly getting up, storming over to him, grabbing him by the shirt collar and shoving him against a tree.

"What were you thinking?" the silver-haired jonin roared, bending down so their two faces were level.

"What?" Yamato asked, at the same time Sakura rose to her feet and said, "Kakashi?"

"ANBU," he said. "What were you thinking, letting her join ANBU? And even training her? I thought you'd be better than this, Tenzo."

Yamato frowned at the use of his old codename. "It was approved by the Hokage herself. What makes you think I'm important enough to have a say in the matter? Besides, if you'd asked me for my opinion I would've said she'd make a great agent. And I've been proven right so far."

"Well apparently not today, because you would both be in enemy hands right now, being subjected to far worse torture than you can possibly imagine if I hadn't happened to hear about this group of Rain ninja when I was in the Land of Silver!"

Yamato thought about all the time he'd spent with Kabuto and Madara during the last war, but decided now wasn't the time to mention that. He was trying to think of what to say when Kakashi's weight was suddenly pulled off him.

"Stop it! What's your problem? I don't need your permission to join ANBU, Kakashi, or your training. I get that you don't think I'm capable of doing this, so I found someone who does," Sakura snapped, but anyone could see the hurt in her eyes, the two men in front of her included.

A funny feeling, almost like a tingling, started in her side. She furrowed her brows before she felt herself tipping forward, her balance suddenly gone. Kakashi's eye widened in surprise, and he reached out to steady her before she could collapse.

Still angry with him, Sakura fixed him with what she hoped was an intense glare and shoved his arms away. Kakashi released her hesitantly, only moving his arms back down to his sides when he was sure she could stand up on her own.

Yamato gasped. "Your side."

Sakura looked down to where he was pointing. "Hm, maybe that knife did get me after all."

Focusing what little chakra she had left, Sakura worked on knitting the torn skin back together. This wound wasn't deep, but it was a pretty big gash, so it had probably caused her to lose quite a bit of blood, which would explain the dizziness.

When she finished healing herself—and expending the last of her chakra—Sakura found she was unable to hold herself up any longer, but this time it was Yamato who caught her as she sagged to the ground.

Carefully picking her up in his arms so as not to reaggravate any of her injuries, Yamato laid her gently up against another tree.

"You should get some rest and recover your chakra," he said.

She barely nodded before her eyes closed and she was unconscious. With Sakura taken care of, Yamato turned to face Kakashi, wondering what the man was so upset about. He could understand his worry—they would have been in serious trouble if he hadn't shown up when he did—but the raw anger was not something that he was used to seeing out of his sempai, and never directed at a friend.

Hesitantly, he walked over to the silver-haired man, who was still leaning up against the tree.

"Kakashi?"

Kakashi looked up, running a hand through his silvery locks.

"What could possibly have possessed _you _of all people to let Sakura join ANBU?" His voice was low and fierce.

"I don't understand why you're so angry," Yamato said honestly. If Kakashi only knew how much progress she'd made, he was sure that Sakura's former sensei would be proud.

"Because this is too dangerous for her! She's not ready and she's not strong enough!"

Yamato's eyes narrowed. "With all due respect, sempai, you've been gone for months, and _you _weren't the one to oversee her training, although that's what everyone involved would have liked."

Kakashi's eye widened a bit at his tone, but Yamato wasn't finished yet.

"You know, something's off about you. What is it? The mission? All this peace? Just don't know what to do with yourself lately? It's been bothering me ever since I heard you wanted back on the ANBU roster. You've got an amazing team filled with teammates who care about you, and you want to throw all that away? So they annoy you every now and then, but that's something to appreciate, to treasure, because it means you're loved.

"And here you are, being a jerk to one of those teammates, telling her that she can't be in ANBU, that she's not good enough. Stop. Stop tearing down the confidence it took me _months _to build up. Sakura's a strong girl, but she has her weaknesses like everyone else. And you know what hers is? It's her insecurities about not being as strong as everyone else on her team. But she pushed through and worked harder than anyone I've ever seen to get to this point.

"Did you know that she finished the entire ANBU training regiment in one month? Just _one month, _Kakashi. It can take an average recruit a _year _to go through all that. And in that time, I saw her confidence soar higher than it's ever been. She's not the same girl who needs the reassurance of those around her anymore."

Kakashi opened his mouth to protest, but Yamato didn't let him speak. The brown-haired shinobi didn't anger easily, but when he did it wasn't pretty for the other person involved. Kakashi had never been on the receiving end of Yamato's anger, but he was starting to realize that it wasn't something to be taken lightly.

"But despite that," Yamato continued, "there are only two people in the entire world that could single-handedly destroy all that confidence, and you're one of them Kakashi. You and Sasuke Uchiha are the only people she holds in high enough esteem that you could make her think that she's useless when everyone else tells her otherwise. So I'd appreciate it if you would keep your opinions to yourself with it comes to my partner."

Kakashi stared at Yamato, struck speechless by his sudden outburst. He'd even _shouted, _something Kakashi had never seen his friend do.

"It's not that I think she's weak," Kakashi hissed, "I just don't think ANBU is right for her. You said it yourself, we're at peace now. She shouldn't have to waste her life in a program like ANBU when there's no need."

He ran a hand through his unruly hair like Yamato knew he only did when he was struggling with words. The wood user was proud of himself. There weren't many people who could say they'd made the Copy Ninja stumble over his words.

"She's nineteen. She's got her whole life ahead of her. She should be out with her friends doing...things," Kakashi said, clearly aggravated.

"Just because _you _never got out to see your friends when you were in ANBU doesn't mean she won't, sempai," Yamato said, cutting him off. "You still see me around don't you?"

Kakashi frowned, realizing he hadn't really seen that much less of his old friend, even when he had recovered enough from his ordeal in the war to start taking missions again.

Yamato smiled. "Naruto threatened to take me off the duty roster when he became Hokage if I didn't come eat ramen with him every couple of weeks."

Kakashi resisted the urge to sigh, but that was just so _Naruto. _"It's just, she should be going out, having girls nights or meeting guys, not taking S-class missions where there are plenty of other perfectly capable ninja in the village. Why does she have to do it?"

Yamato smiled. "I think I've got you all figured out, sempai. It's the same problem you've always had. You've got comrades again, so you don't want anything to happen to them. You wouldn't be bothered by this if it were Ino."

Kakashi shrugged. He liked to think he was a pretty selfless man—he'd given up a lot for the village over the years—but when it came to his teammates he would readily admit he was selfish. He would rather die than see harm come to them.

The brunet shinobi laughed, seeing Kakashi slowly start to figure it out.

"You know, I used to say you were my favorite, Tenzo," Kakashi grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Don't pout, sempai. It doesn't suit you." His smirk faded. "But really, think about what I said. I know you mean well, but just think about how it might make Sakura feel without context. And remember, it's her life, not yours."

**A/N: Hahaha, Yamato yelling at Kakashi was sooooooo much fun to write.**

**So I have family in town this weekend, and since I'm determined to write every day of KakaSaku week, I may not have another EoF chapter out until next week. But we'll just have to see! **


	14. Apology

**~A/N: So I've got 50 follows on this story now (actually it could be more, I haven't ****honestly checked since I saw it hit 50) and that's like 49 more than I thought I'd get, so I just want to say thanks to everyone who's been reading! There's still plenty of story to go!**

**Fourteen: Apology**

The sun came too early the next morning, Sakura decided. If it had been up to her, she would have kept sleeping and recovered a bit more of her strength. Maybe then she could have finished healing her side.

As it was, Sakura didn't have the chakra levels to complete the jutsu necessary to heal herself completely and still be able to move. But, wincing as she pulled herself into a sitting position against a tree, she knew she wouldn't be able to travel for a full day in her condition. So she settled for using just enough chakra to ease the pain a bit.

"You're up," Kakashi observed, watching her from across the camp. "How's your side?"

She glared at him and turned the other direction. Sakura knew she was acting like a child, but she was _really _mad at him. Why couldn't he understand that she was just as strong as the rest of the boys on her team?

Yamato coughed, standing up. "I'm going to, uh, get some firewood so we can cook breakfast."

"Fine," Sakura snapped, while Kakashi nodded curtly.

It was only after Yamato had left their line of sight that the two realized that it didn't really make sense for a wood-style user to go get _firewood. _He could just make it himself.

"You don't need to leave to get firewood!" they yelled simultaneously.

* * *

Breakfast was tense, to say the least. Sakura had glared at Yamato when he got back, letting him know that she knew _exactly_ what he'd been up to and that she wasn't pleased. She loved Yamato, but he really was such a coward when it came to dealing with people fighting. He always ran the other direction. It was no different from the first time Sai and Sasuke got into a fight while he was with the team.

He could deal with uncooperative teammates when the mission depended on it, but the second it became bratty fighting, he was gone. Sakura rolled her eyes, wondering how the man had ever gotten her and Naruto to work with Sai in the first place.

The brown-haired shinobi tried to make conversation, but that proved to be a bit difficult when he realized Sakura refused to speak to Kakashi, and Kakashi had no interest in speaking to anybody.

So Yamato had to suffer through a meal in mostly silence. It was broken only when Sakura gave one-word answers to his infrequent questions.

"Did you heal your side this morning?"

"A little."

"Does it still bother you?"

"Some."

"Will you be all right to travel?"

"Yes."

Yamato sighed. He wondered if this was what Team Seven's parents had felt like during their teenage years. Then he remembered that with the exception of Sakura—who had civilian parents—the rest of Team Seven had grown up without knowing theirs. And in a way, he supposed, it had been the same for Sakura. She'd moved out before she was sixteen because her parents didn't really understand her job.

Still, if that was how angsty teenagers acted all the time, Yamato decided he had _no _desire to ever have children. He didn't deal well with that sort of stuff.

After they finished eating, the three ANBU stood and started packing their respective belongings. Kakashi had disposed of Takeo's body the day before, and he stuffed the things he'd taken off his corpse into the dead man's pack, seeing as he hadn't had time to get his own before he'd left Konoha.

Sakura moved carefully, always conscious of her injured side. Really, it hadn't been that bad during the fight. She was annoyed that it was giving her so much trouble now. On top of not being able to expend the chakra necessary to heal it, as well as being mad at Kakashi, Sakura was in a really foul mood. She just wanted to get back to the Hidden Leaf Village as soon as possible, take a nice hot shower, and go to bed. For a week.

Yamato and Kakashi noticed her inhibited movements right away.

"She's hurt worse than she's letting on," Yamato said, nodding toward the pink-haired kunoichi.

Kakashi shrugged. "She always is."

Yamato glared at him. Most of the time, the wood user considered himself to be a pretty patient man. His sempai, however, had the habit of making him a very _impatient _man.

Yamato was not in the mood to deal with Kakashi's attitude today. The glare he sent him told him that.

Kakashi held up his hands. "What do you want me to do? I'm the one she's mad at, you know."

"Maybe if you apologized, it wouldn't have to be this awkward."

"_You're _the one who can't deal with awkward tension, Tenzo. You haven't changed at all."

"Neither have you. You still can't admit that you're wrong and apologize to people."

Yamato was feeling especially bold today. Maybe it was the fact that he was still technically the captain on this mission, or maybe it was because he knew Sakura would take his side since she was still mad at Kakashi. Regardless, the brown-haired ninja had no qualms about laying into his former superior.

"Since when did you become sassy," Kakashi grumbled, not really intending for Yamato to hear.

"Since when did you become a bitter old man," the wood-style shinobi shot back.

That was it. The last straw. Now Kakashi was mad.

"I am not old!" he hissed.

"Then quick acting like one of those crabby elders."

"Are you forgetting I outrank you?"

"Are you forgetting I don't care?"

"Argh! Stop that! It's seriously starting to piss me off!"

Kakashi was pulling his own hair at this point. Yamato was acting childish too. When had the two most mature members of his team become such brats? Was it to punish him? They knew he hated kids, so maybe this was their way of getting back at him for something he'd done long ago…?

He sighed, his normal eye drooping visibly. He couldn't believe he was thinking it, but he actually wished Naruto were with him right then. The idiot blonde would have known exactly how to diffuse the situation and make everybody happy. His optimism was contagious.

And that was exactly why the blonde jinchuriki was going to be Hokage someday, and not him. Pleasing people was not something that Kakashi enjoyed, or was particularly good at, as evidenced by his subordinate's grumpy attitudes. He sighed. The only person worse than him at people pleasing was Sasuke.

Kakashi looked back at Yamato, who was watching Sakura. The man's concern was written all over his face and posture, and Kakashi felt momentarily bad for yelling at him. After all, Yamato had been the captain on the mission, and even though the Rain ninja weren't a factor they'd planned to encounter, he knew the wood-style user probably blamed himself for Sakura's injuries.

"It's not your fault," Kakashi sighed, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You had no way of knowing they would target you."

"Yeah, but she still got hurt on my watch, and who knows if we would both still be here if you hadn't shown up when you did."

"Don't worry about it. It's in the past now, and you have to just let go. Trust me, I've been there."

Yamato was still for a long time, holding his breath, before he slowly exhaled and nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Then he smiled. "See? Was that so hard?"

"What?"

"That. You just apologized to me. Well, sort of."

Kakashi laughed. "I hardly think that counts as an apology, so I really doubt it will work with Sakura. That girl has a temper."

Yamato grinned. "Well, I guess you'd better be careful then. And do some extra buttering up."

Kakashi raised one eyebrow. "I am the great Copy Ninja. I do not do this 'buttering up' that you speak of."

Then the two of them were laughing, clapping each other on the back like they used to in the old days. But they sobered up as soon as they caught the glare that Sakura sent their way. Apparently she wasn't amused by their good mood.

Yamato slapped him on the shoulder. "I guess you'd better learn then, eh?"

* * *

They hadn't gotten more than fifty feet out of camp, and Sakura was already falling behind. Neither Kakashi nor Yamato wanted to say anything, but they knew her condition was going to be a problem. She needed to be able to travel so they could get to a safe place, but in order to do that, she needed to rest and build up enough chakra so she could heal her wounds. But in order to rest, they needed to get to a safe place. It was a catch-22, and one there wasn't an easy way out of.

After an hour, Yamato had given her bag to Kakashi. He knew Sakura was hurting more than she'd let on because she hadn't complained about _Kakashi _carrying it for her. She was limping slightly, and he noticed that her hand kept resting on her injured side subconsciously.

"Sakura?" he asked, as Kakashi scouted out a route ahead of them. "Do you want me to carry you for a bit? Don't get mad at me, it's just an offer."

He'd anticipated her reaction would be a glare, but what he hadn't expected to see were two tired green eyes looking up at him without their usual fire.

"Thanks, but you're too tired yourself. And don't pretend like your ribs aren't bruised. I know they are."

Yamato bit back a laugh. Nothing got passed his medic—that was for sure. "Fair enough. But you should take your own advice too, you know? That side's hurting you far more than you're admitting."

Sakura did glare, but it was at the ground, not him. "I'll just be glad when we're back in Konoha and I can go take a shower and sleep."

Yamato cracked a smile. "Yeah, I know the feeling. After we go to the hospital first, I assume, miss medic?"

Sakura grinned. "Well, maybe you guys weren't wrong about that whole taking-a-nap-before-I-go-to-the-doctor thing after all."

"Aha! So she admits it!"

"Just don't let Lady Tsunade hear about this, or I'll be dead for sure. She'll probably take away my status as a medical ninja."

"Well, we wouldn't want that. What would Team Kakashi do?" He realized too late that he probably shouldn't have used the K-word. And she'd been in such a great mood too.

"I don't know about the _team, _but I'm sure _Kakashi _would manage just fine."

Yamato sighed. How did he always get stuck having to deal with these messes? Those two were among his favorite people—hell, they probably _were _his two favorite people—but they could both be so goddamned stubborn. It was starting to grate on his nerves.

But he remembered his conversation with Kakashi the night before, and he believed more than ever that it really was just a misunderstanding between them. Knowing those two, however, that misunderstanding could turn into a grudge pretty fast.

"You know, I really think you should talk to Kakashi."

"What? Why? What do _I _have to say to _him_?"

"I don't know. Nothing. I just think you should talk to him, that's all. Come on, you two are teammates, and you've always been so close. Are you going to let your friendship be ruined over something like this?"

Sakura looked up at him, and this time, there was no disguising the hurt in her eyes. "If we were so close, then why doesn't he believe in me? Even Sasuke thought I could make it in ANBU."

Yamato sighed. "He does believe in you."

"Well he sure doesn't act like it."

"Just talk to him. Please."

"I don't know. Maybe when I'm ready. I just don't think I can deal with that right now. I'm already in enough pain, eh?"

She tried to turn it into a joke, but her smile was so fake that even Sai would have seen through it. Yamato sighed.

_Kakashi, you really are an idiot._

* * *

"You know," Kakashi said later that afternoon, "it would be faster if you just let me carry you."

He fell back into step with Sakura, who was lagging behind. Whereas earlier in the day she'd been able to hide it, her injuries from the previous day were clearly bothering her now.

"If you're so impatient, you and Yamato can go on ahead. Don't let me be a burden. I wouldn't want to _drag you down_," she said venomously.

Kakashi wondered briefly if she was talking about the journey home, or something else.

"So what will you do if you get attacked by bandits? You can't move around very well with an injury like that."

She glared daggers at him. "I'll punch them. Kami knows you've got me mad enough!"

Sakura stormed ahead, despite the fact that it clearly pained her to do so. Kakashi sighed. He was trying to apologize, but he wasn't doing a very good job. All he'd succeeded in doing was pissing her off even more.

He looked ahead at Yamato, who just shrugged and kept at his pace. Kakashi sighed. It looked like the wood user wasn't going to be of any help to him. He was on his own.

"Sakura?" he said, falling into step with her again. "I'm sorry. Really, I didn't mean to upset you. I was just worried about you—_not _because I didn't think you could handle it," he said, seeing her glare, "but because I was worried you wouldn't, I don't know, get live your life. I was worried that you would _become _ANBU, because that's what happened to me."

He grew silent after that, thinking about his past. How many people had he pushed away because he'd been too absorbed in the job? He'd joined ANBU to escape from everything, and escaped he had—but he realized now that maybe it hadn't been a good thing.

Sakura's glare softened. Kakashi didn't open up about his past often, so he must have really wanted her to understand he didn't think she was weak.

She could feel her anger slowly dissipating. She wasn't _happy _with him, per say, but she wasn't exactly mad anymore. He didn't always know how to go about it, but Kakashi really did care about his teammates. Sometimes he just showed it in all the wrong ways.

"Kakashi?" she asked, her voice small. "My side really hurts."

He stopped by her instantly, concern written all over his body.

"Do you think maybe I could…?"

He nodded, crouching down so she could climb onto his back. He lifted her easily—her petite form was nothing for him—taking care not to jostle her injured side.

Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, and Kakashi knew he was forgiven.

Up ahead, Yamato smiled.

**A/N: Yamato's such a smug little bastard. I love writing him waaaaay too much haha and I don't really know why. I honestly didn't really intend to write him that much when I started, but then he started growing on me. Maybe it's because I get to take some liberties with his character because I really don't know how he'd actually act since he gets like no screen time :( poor baby. I miss him. **


	15. A Mission Fulfilled

**Fifteen: A Mission Fulfilled**

As much as Sakura hated to admit it, with Kakashi carrying her, the trio made much better time. Her stubbornness from the morning still put them behind schedule, but if they kept going just a bit past sunset, they would make it into Fire territory that night. All three shinobi would sleep better, knowing they were out of enemy lands.

"Hey, guess what," Sakura said as she played with a silver strand of hair that had been ticking her nose.

"What?" Kakashi asked, tilting his head in amusement at how quickly her mood had changed.

That girl never stopped surprising him. She could be furious at him one minute, and then be back to her normal self two seconds later. Well, maybe not two seconds, but…

"I've almost perfected that jutsu you were helping me work on. You know, the original one I was trying to create?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow as his eye widened in surprise. "Really? You've gotten that far along with it?"

Sakura nodded enthusiastically on his back. "Yeah. Yamato helped me hone it a bit when we were taking breaks from training, but it's still not ready yet. It's missing something, I just can't seem to figure out what."

"Maybe I can take a look at it when we get back?" Kakashi offered.

He was a bit hesitant. Sakura was in a much better mood, but he wasn't sure how far her forgiveness had gone. For all he knew, he could still be on probation. She might slap him at any minute, she was in perfect position to.

"Yeah. I'd like that," Sakura smiled, leaning her head against his and closing her eyes. "You _were _the one who helped me start it, after all."

Kakashi chuckled, remembering that day a year ago when Sakura had first approached him about inventing her own, original jutsu. She told him that she'd already tried using medical ninjutsu to fight, much like how Kabuto had done, but she said she could never master it. Tsunade wasn't the biggest fan of using medical ninjutsu to kill either, so Sakura hadn't gotten any help from her teacher.

"_Well, I see your problem," he'd said, scratching his head. _

"_I want to create my own jutsu," Sakura told him, her green eyes lit up with determination. It was like they were on fire. "Like you and Sasuke. Hell, even Naruto sort of has his own jutsu."_

"_Don't hit me for saying this, Sakura, but you've never really been good with ninjutsu—apart from medical. Taijutsu and genjutsu were always much better suited to your skills."_

_Sakura laughed. "Don't worry, Kakashi. I wasn't suited for much of anything when I was a genin. I blame you for that, by the way."_

_Kakashi pretended to be offended, clutching his chest dramatically, earning a laugh from Sakura. He smiled to himself. She was on of the only people he acted that way around, but a genuine laugh from her made it all worth it. _

"_So what sort of jutsu were you thinking?" he asked, after she stopped laughing. _

"_I was thinking some sort of genjutsu. Something that would let me catch my opponents off guard. Then I can rely on my strength to take them down."_

_Kakashi nodded. "That's what I was going to say."_

_Sakura grinned. "Guess I didn't need your help after all."_

"_You still have no idea how to even go about creating a jutsu."_

"_Then teach me, Kakashi-_sensei_."_

_Kakashi groaned. "I told you guys not to call me that. We're all jonin, Naruto and Sasuke are both stronger than me, and _it makes me feel old_!"_

_Sakura laughed, knowing that Kakashi's age had been a touchy subject for him ever since he hit thirty. "Alright Kakashi. I don't think you're old, don't worry."_

_He sighed. "Let's just work on your jutsu."_

Kakashi smiled, remembering how they'd made a habit of staying after training at least three times a week so Sakura could work on her own original genjutsu. He wondered how much she'd progressed in the months she'd spent with Yamato. If the wood-style user's praise was any indication, there probably wouldn't be much left for him to help her with.

"Have you thought up a name for it yet?" Kakashi asked.

Sakura didn't answer, and the silver-haired jonin realized that she was sound asleep. Her grip had loosened slightly, and he worried that she would fall off, so he hiked her up higher on his back. Her head was now draped over his right shoulder, and he could see the peaceful expression her face made when she slept. He brushed a few strands of soft pink hair away from her eyes and hurried ahead to catch up to Yamato.

They still had a few more hours of walking to go.

* * *

"Did she really sleep through all that?" Yamato scoffed as the two shinobi made their way back onto the road. Now that they had crossed over into the Land of Fire, they felt more comfortable travelling along the main road.

They had been walking along one of the trade routes that went through Rain territory, but when they'd heard the sound of footsteps approaching quickly, they'd scrambled to get out of sight. Luckily it had turned out to be nothing more than a group of travelers, but the two shinobi couldn't be too careful. They didn't know if the Rain ninja would come back, looking for revenge.

Kakashi shrugged, slightly jostling the sleeping girl who was now cradled in his arms. During their flight, he'd switched her position to make it easier for him to hold her, but it seemed the change hadn't disturbed her.

"Her chakra must really be depleted," Yamato said. "And you can't be completely unaffected by carrying her almost all day. You said you'd just gotten back from your mission when you came to find us. Let's call it a night."

"Fine," Kakashi nodded, but secretly he was relieved. He was beginning to tire, even if he wouldn't admit it. Leave it to Yamato to notice, though.

They stopped at the next suitable shelter off the road, far enough that they were out of sight, but close enough that they would be able to hear anyone coming down the path. No sense in making an enemy ambush easy.

Yamato rolled out Sakura's sleeping bag, and Kakashi set her down, careful not to wake the sleeping girl. He tucked her in and quietly zipped the sleeping bag up, and then proceeded to set out his own.

He was too tired to bother with dinner, and he knew Yamato felt the same way. They would make sure to eat in the morning, and now that they were inside their own territory, it wouldn't be more than two days before they made it back to the Leaf village, even with Sakura's injuries.

"Go ahead and sleep, sempai. I'll stay awake and make sure no one followed us."

Kakashi nodded gratefully to Yamato, relieved that he would be able to get at least some decent sleep. It wasn't necessary for someone to remain on guard all night once they were in Fire territory, but because they had just come from enemy lands, it was protocol for someone to remain awake for a few hours after they made camp to make sure they group hadn't been followed.

"Wake me if you sense anything," Kakashi said, falling back into his sleeping bag. He rolled over, and it wasn't long before his mind went blank.

* * *

Despite the fact that he'd remained awake a whole two hours longer than his teammates, Yamato was the first one up the next morning. He winced as he sat up, realizing that he'd been putting a lot of pressure on his bruised ribs. Yamato sighed. The sooner they got back to the village the better. He didn't like sleeping on his back, but sleeping on his side hurt even more in his current condition. But there was no way he'd ask Sakura to heal him. Not when she couldn't even heal herself.

Sakura was the next to wake up, and Kakashi not long after. By that time, Yamato had already started a small fire, and was cooking a bit of breakfast. They had been too exhausted to bother eating the night before, so they would need to eat to regain their strength before they set out for another day of traveling.

The first thing Sakura did after brushing her hair back with her fingers was to try to heal her side a bit more with the chakra she'd recovered throughout the night. She still didn't have enough reserves to heal herself completely, but she was at least able to take the pain away a bit.

"Yamato, how are your ribs?" she asked, as the trio sat down to eat.

"They're fine," he said, but Sakura knew he was lying.

"Let me heal them."

Yamato shook his head. "I can't. You haven't even healed yourself."

"At this point, a little bit of extra healing on me wouldn't make any difference," Sakura said, waving him off. "Just let me take a look at your ribs."

"Sorry."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Men."

They finished eating their breakfast, Kakashi said they should move out as soon as possible, so the three shinobi started packing up their campsite. It was small—they hadn't brought much with them—so it didn't take them too long.

Sakura watched Yamato moving gingerly across from her, and suddenly she was struck by an idea. She grinned, dropping her bedroll.

"Ah," she said, inhaling sharply and clutching her side, as if she were suddenly overcome by an intense pain.

"Sakura? What's wrong?"

Yamato was the closest to the pink-haired girl, so dropped what he was doing and went to check on her. Sakura looked up at him with a grin before flipping behind him. With one hand, she grabbed Yamato's arm and twisted it behind him, while her other hand glowed green as she used her medical ninjutsu to work on his damaged ribs.

"Sakura," he complained, but she just shushed him. Kakashi watched them from across the camp, amusement twinkling in his dark eye.

"Looks like she got you, eh Tenzo?"

Yamato resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Make her stop, sempai. She's going to waste what little chakra she has left on me."

"Stop complaining," Sakura snapped, twisting his arm slightly.

"I think this kind of defeats the purpose," Yamato grumbled, wincing from her grip and looking over at Kakashi for assistance.

"Sorry, there's nothing I can do to help," Kakashi said lightly. "Not while she's got your arm like that. A dirty trick, really."

She smiled. "Well, that was the only way I could think of to get you stubborn boys to let me heal him. Looks like I was right."

"But you can't have that much energy left!" Yamato protested.

"Well, you can just carry me then. Since you'll be all better before I let you go."

"You know, there really is no arguing with her once she gets like this. Medic-mode, I mean."

Yamato sighed, defeated. "Fine. Just don't overdo it. You're probably heavier than you look."

He was rewarded for that comment with another twist of his arm. Any further and Sakura was going to have another injury to heal.

"I meant because you have so much muscle!"

She twisted farther.

"Ow. Okay, I deserved that one! I admit it. Just _stop_!"

* * *

The next two days passed without incident, and by the afternoon of the second day, Sakura had built up enough strength to travel at the same pace as Kakashi and Yamato. She would still need to have Shizune or Tsunade look at her wounds, but she was in much better shape than she had been when Kakashi had found them.

"Sakura! Back from your first ANBU mission I see!" Kotetsu waved as the three ninja approached the Konoha gates.

"And Kakashi! There you are! The Hokage has been looking for you," Izumo said upon seeing the silver-haired jonin who accompanied the group.

"I suppose she would be," Kakashi said, rubbing the back of his head. "I never did go in for my mission debriefing. I guess that means my mission isn't technically fulfilled."

"We can go see her together," Sakura said, wincing as she turned to look at him a little too quickly.

"Are you hurt?" Izumo asked, leaning out of the booth to get a good look at her side.

"Did you and Captain Yamato run into trouble?" Kotetsu looked concerned.

"Yeah, but it was nothing we couldn't handle once Kakashi got there to back us up," Sakura replied. "And don't worry about this. It'll heal easily."

"All right, if you're sure." Izumo didn't sound reassured.

"Which one of us is the medic here?"

Izumo shook his head. "Fine. I'll stop worrying. Go on. Go and see Lady Tsunade."

The trio bid the pair of gatekeepers farewell, heading straight to Hokage Tower. They all wanted to go home as quickly as possible, but letting Tsunade know what had happened took precedence. And they all probably had injuries that needed to be taken care of in some form. Sakura wasn't entirely sure Kakashi had come away without a scratch, even if he acted like nothing was wrong.

"Lady Tsunade is busy right now. I'll have to set something—oh!" Shizune looked up in surprise when she saw the three shinobi in front of her. "It's you three! You're back. And Sakura! You're wounded."

"It's not that bad," Sakura said, but she was cut off by Kakashi.

"She was stabbed in the side by a rogue shinobi we encountered in the Land of Rain. She hadn't been able to heal herself because of low chakra levels."

"Here, let me heal it for you," Shizune said, stepping around the desk and placing her hands on the pink-haired medic's injured abdomen. "You really should be more careful with your chakra use, Sakura."

Kakashi expected her to glare at the black-haired woman, but to his surprise, Sakura merely sighed.

"Yeah, I know. You might take a look at Yamato's ribs too. I healed them, but I don't think I was able to do a very good job."

"I'm fine, Sakura," Yamato protested, but Shizune fixed him with a glare that made him pale in fear.

Sakura frowned, fairly sure she'd never seen Yamato look that scared. Besides, she didn't think Shizune's face was _that _scary. Yamato could scare himself better just by looking in a mirror. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't say anything, so Sakura let it go.

As soon as she finished with Sakura, Shizune moved on to the wood-style user, gently mending the fractures that Sakura hadn't had the energy to take care of. After a few minutes, she allowed the green glow to fade from her hands and looked up at him.

"How does that feel?"

"Better."

"Good," Shizune nodded. "Now I'll go get Lady Tsunade."

She came back a few minutes later, and told the trio that the Hokage would see them in her office.

"I'm glad all of you are alright," was the first thing she said when three of her top shinobi walked into her office. "I heard you were ambushed?"

Yamato nodded. "The mission to retrieve the scroll went without incident, but on our way back, Sakura and I noticed we were being followed. It turned out to be Rain ninja, intent on capturing the bounty on our heads. They probably would have succeeded too, if Kakashi hadn't shown up when he did."

"I heard about this particular group of Rain shinobi while I was in the Land of Silver, so I went to back Sakura and Tenzo up once I heard where they were. I killed their leader, but I'm afraid the others got away."

"That doesn't matter. It's just important that you all returned safely. Do you have the scroll?" she asked, turning to Yamato.

He nodded, producing the scroll that had been the objective of Sakura's first ANBU mission. The mission seemed like it had been so long ago that the she'd almost forgotten about it.

"And Sakura? How did she perform?"

"Perfectly. I have no complaints," Yamato said.

"Well then, Sakura. Now that you've completed your first mission, you are officially a member of the ANBU Black Ops. Congratulations."

Tsunade smiled at her, and Sakura felt herself smiling back. If her shishou was proud of her, then that must mean that she really was strong. She looked over at Yamato, and the brown-haired shinobi grinned, flashing her a thumbs up, which she gratefully returned.

She didn't think she could get any happier, but she was wrong, because her smile widened even further when she felt a strong hand rest on her shoulder. She looked up to see Kakashi smiling down at her, his visible eye making its signature crinkle.

He bent down so his masked mouth was level with her ear, whispering words that were meant only for her.

"I'm proud of you too."


	16. The Next Task

**Sixteen: The Next Task**

"Now that you're back, you three have certainly earned some rest," Tsunade said, looking over the ninja standing before her. She was looking at them as a medic, not as the Hokage, Sakura noted.

"Unfortunately," the blonde continued, "I can't give you as much time off as I'd like."

The three deflated at her words, but they did their best not to let it show. They were shinobi of the Leaf, after all, and they had jobs to do.

"As you all know, there has been unrest in the Land of Silver lately, and Tanosuke Sasaki, lord of one of the main villages there has requested that information be brought to him about the suspected rebellion."

Sakura frowned, wondering where her shishou was going with all this. They all knew those details; it was Kakashi who had been sent on that recon mission to get all that information.

"I sent the remaining members of Team Kakashi to the Land of Silver to check it out and act as protection for the Sasaki family should the need arise. Unfortunately it has. Sasuke has been staying there since last week, and Naruto and Sai headed back yesterday. Given the circumstances, I will be sending one of the team's two captains back, while the other will go with Sakura and engage in some more information gathering. Because the mission could be dangerous, it would be best if there's a medic around.

"We now know the identity of two of the rebellion's main players, but its official leader still remains a mystery, as well as any details of their plans. The other two will be responsible for finding out this information. Do you follow?"

"Yes, Lady Hokage," they echoed, each taking in the new information.

"It doesn't matter to me which of you stays with Sakura and which of you goes with Team Seven, so I'll leave it to you to decide," Tsunade said, looking between Yamato and Kakashi.

"I'll go with Team Seven, then," Yamato said, without even bothering to consult with Kakashi. He'd decided on his own that it would be good for Kakashi and Sakura to work together as mission partners.

"Is that alright?" Sakura asked, looking up at the silver-haired jonin.

"Of course," he smiled at her. "It makes more sense for me to do the information-gathering anyway, seeing as I've already done it once."

Tsunade nodded. "Fine. Just remember, they know your face, so if you have to infiltrate any bases, make sure it's Sakura who goes in. You're too recognizable as it is."

Sakura giggled. Kakashi had told her about the rebels' obsession with his one-eyedness on their journey back, as well as filled her in on everything that had happened to him on his mission.

"Maybe we need to start aiming for the eyes when we fight our enemies from now on, huh?" she asked.

Kakashi groaned, not really thinking it was funny, since he'd once had his own eye sliced out.

"Very well then," Tsunade said, signing her seal onto the bottom of two mission scrolls and handing them to Yamato and Kakashi, respectively. "Yamato, you'll leave in two days, as soon as you've had a chance to recover. Kakashi, Sakura, you two will leave in a week. You'll need extra time to rest up, since you won't be living as comfortably as Yamato here."

The wood user grinned at them. "Sorry."

"He doesn't look very sorry," Sakura grumbled, lowering her voice so only Kakashi could hear her.

He chuckled softly beside her. "Yes, but he'll have to deal with Naruto. A Naruto who hasn't had Ichiraku's in a week."

Her lip quirked upward. "Yeah. I guess that's punishment enough. I'm beginning to think Yamato got the short end of the stick."

Kakashi laughed again, and Yamato shot them another worried glance. He wasn't sure he liked what was coming from the pair across from him. They were acting like they knew something that he didn't.

"If you don't have any questions, then you're dismissed," Tsunade said. "Go rest up and make sure all your injuries are healed. And I don't want Sakura doing it! She has to save up her chakra."

"Yes, shishou," Sakura said resignedly.

"Now get out of here!" the blonde barked. "I want to drink my sake in peace!"

* * *

"Man, am I looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again!" Sakura said, stretching her arms above her head as the trio walked out into the sunlight.

"That _will _be nice," Yamato said.

"Don't even talk to me about it," Kakashi grumbled. "I've been away a lot longer than you two have."

"How long is our next mission supposed to last?" Sakura asked.

"Don't know," Kakashi shrugged. "Haven't read the scroll yet."

The pink-haired kunoichi rolled her eyes. "Are you going to?"

He shook his head. "Not anytime soon. I'm going to enjoy my well-earned rest."

Sakura turned to Yamato. "Does he always get like this after ANBU missions?"

"Get like what?" Kakashi sounded offended.

She turned back to him and gave him a smile that was decidedly too sweet.

"Stubborn and whiny like a teenager."

Yamato grinned. "Always."

"Really?" Sakura asked, turning back to the brown-haired man.

"Yup."

"Every time?"

"Every time."

"Oh, do tell me more."

Yamato tapped his chin. "Well, let me think. There was this one time, it was after a rather long mission to Suna, and Kakashi had been craving—"

"Okay that's enough, Tenzo. Sakura doesn't want to hear your boring stories," Kakashi said, putting his hands on Sakura's shoulders and steering her away from Yamato, as if that would help. "Right, Sakura?"

"I don't know, Kakashi. These stories sound pretty interesting," she teased.

"I can assure you, they're not. I'm really quite a boring person."

"That's not what loads of our _'friends' _we made on our missions together would say," Yamato said with a wink.

Sakura's jaw dropped as she turned to face the silver-haired man, who looked equally as shocked as she did. They'd been joking around, and Sakura had been having fun teasing him, but there were some things that she definitely did _not _want to know about her former sensei.

Yamato snickered. "Oh, you two should have seen the looks on your faces."

"He was making it up?" Sakura turned to Kakashi, who merely shrugged.

"It seems that Tenzo has gotten the better of both of us."

Sakura's eyes lit up mischievously. "Well, it's a good thing we've got a whole ANBU-length mission ahead of us to plan our revenge, then, isn't it?"

Kakashi grinned. "I suppose it is."

Yamato eyed them warily. "I don't like the sound of that. I'd better warn Naruto and the others to be on their guard. I bet they'll be willing to help out an old friend."

"Sasuke will take our side," Sakura said. "So I guess it'll be even. Three-on-three."

"Not if I get Naruto to convince him to take ours. Then you'll be out of luck."

"Well," Kakashi said lightly, stepping forward, "the way I see it, it's two-on-one right now, isn't it Sakura?"

"That's right, Kakashi. We do appear to have the advantage."

The wood-style user laughed nervously. "Oh, would you look at that! My apartment just happens to be right this way. Too bad you guys are going in the opposite direction. Maybe I'll see you in the Land of Silver sometime, eh?"

Sakura and Kakashi laughed, giving up on their revenge for now.

"I guess you're right. See you later, Tenzo. Watch out for my team, and take care of yourself."

"I will, Kakashi-sempai. I'll see you later, Sakura. I'm proud of you."

Sakura smiled, hesitating only for a second before throwing herself at him and wrapping him in a hug that was just a little too tight for his newly healed ribs.

"Thank you, Yamato. Not just for the training."

He smiled, knowing exactly what she meant. "Of course Sakura."

His smile stayed firmly on his face as he watched the pair of shinobi disappear around the corner ahead, and he knew they would both be fine.

_Silly girl. It's about time she started believing in herself. Everyone else already did. _

* * *

Sakura hadn't seen Kakashi since they'd bid Yamato farewell on the day the brown-haired shinobi headed off to the Land of Silver, to meet up with the rest of Team Seven. Four days ago.

They were supposed to head out for their ANBU mission the next day, and Sakura still hadn't received all the details. She sighed, wondering if Kakashi had even read the scroll yet. She knew they were supposed to attempt to find out the identity of the unknown rebel leader, but she had no clue as to where they would be going, or how long they would be gone. She didn't even know what to pack!

"So you're telling me you know nothing," Ino said, sorting through what little clothes Sakura owned.

"Yup," the pink-haired girl said, flopping onto the bed. "Kakashi hasn't told me squat."

"Maybe it's bad. Like maybe, you have to pretend to be bandits or something. Or homeless people, or bad guys, or ooh! Maybe you guys have to pretend to be _married!_"

"Ino! It's a recon mission. We don't have to pretend to be anything unless _we _decide the situation calls for it. And I hardly think we're going to have to pretend to be lovers."

"That would be kinda hot though."

"Pig!"

The blonde girl shrugged. "What? He was your teacher once, but Kakashi Hatake's totally a looker."

"_Ino." _

She held up her hands defensively. "Alright, alright. Chill. I'm just saying."

"Let it go."

"If you insist," but Ino's tone told Sakura the blonde wasn't ready to let the subject drop.

"You're pretty close with Kakashi-sensei though, right? Like closer than most teachers and students?"

"Ino, we've been over this. He hasn't been my teacher in like five years! And even when he was he was way more focused on the boys than he ever was on me. We're more like friends now."

"Close friends?"

She shot the blonde a glare. "I'm close with everyone on Team Kakashi."

"So what about you and Captain Yamato? You guys were alone together for all that _training, _you know?" Ino said, wagging her eyebrows. "I know what _I'd _do if I were all by myself with someone as hot as Captain Yamato..."

"Ah! Ino, would you cut it out? I'm not getting it on with any of my teammates. We're all just really close friends!"

"Fine, fine!" Ino said, waving her friend off before she went into attack-mode. "Don't get your panties in a knot. I was just asking."

"My panties are not—!" Sakura started, but thought better of it and decided to switch the subject to something Ino would be sure to talk about. "So how's Choji been lately?"

Sure enough, the blonde blushed. "He's been good. I've actually gotten to work with him a lot more lately. I think Shika knows, and pulled some strings."

"It wouldn't surprise me if he knew," Sakura snorted. "The guy is the most revered genius in Konoha now."

"Yeah," Ino said distantly, and Sakura instantly felt horrible. The reason Shikamaru was now Konoha's genius was because his father had been killed during the Fourth Great Ninja War—the same war Ino's father had died in.

"Oh, Ino, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"It's okay, Sakura, really. I think…I think I'm starting to finally recover from it. Choji was a great help, you know? His whole family was, to both me _and_ Shikamaru. I think that's when I started falling for him."

"Ino."

"He's always had such a kind heart."

To Sakura's dismay, she found that her friend was actually crying. Considering she cried so often herself, it was somewhat surprising that she didn't really know how to react when the tables were turned and it was her best friend who found herself in tears. Maybe it was because Sakura had always thought of Ino as the strong one, but she hated it when her friend cried.

"You should tell him how you feel," Sakura said, moving to sit beside Ino and rubbing her back encouragingly. "I bet you'd feel better."

"But what if he doesn't feel the same way? I don't want to lose our friendship. I don't want him to hate me," Ino sobbed.

"He could never hate you. You guys are part of the fearless Ino-Shika-Cho combination, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess we are." Ino laughed and started wiping away her tears. "Geez, forehead, now I know how it feels like to be you."

Sakura grinned. "Do you see the appeal now? Crying makes everyone _so _much more attractive."

"Yeah, _sure._"

"Don't sweat it. It happens to the best of us."

"I bet Tenten never cries," Ino pointed out. "She's got Lee, and he's always doing something crazy to make everyone laugh."

"Yeah," Sakura said, a beat too late, because the pink-haired medic knew a secret that very few others had known.

Tenten and Neji had confessed to each other right before the war, and they'd planned to make their relationship official after the fighting was over. But Neji had died before they'd gotten the chance. She was glad that Tenten had found a way to be happy with her other teammate, but she knew the weapons master still mourned the loss of her first love.

Sakura was lucky in that respect. Sasuke had survived, and even though she no longer loved him, she knew she would have been devastated if he'd died.

"You know, you're right, forehead," Ino said suddenly, a newfound resolve. "I think I will confess to Choji. He's supposed to get back from a mission with his dad in a few days, and he said we'd go out to dinner when he got back."

"That's perfect, pig. I'm sure he'll be happy."

"I hope so. Anyway, enough about me. I did come all the way over here to help you pack for your mysterious ANBU mission, after all."

"It wouldn't be so mysterious if Kakashi would just show me the scroll," Sakura grumbled. "And you know what the worst part is? I bet he just forgot. No 'wanting to add an air of mystery' or no 'oh it's top secret, blah, blah.' No, I bet he just. Plain. Forgot."

"Forgot what?" a voice said from her windowsill. "Forgot this?"

Both girls yelped, turning toward the open window where Kakashi sat, perched on the edge, holding up a mission scroll.

Sakura recovered first. "Yes. Forgot that."

"I didn't forget."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Then when were you planning on giving it to me?"

"Um...right now?"

"Uh-huh. And why don't I believe you?"

Kakashi grinned, cocking his head to the side like he always did when any of his teammates caught him lying. "Well, I was going to give it to you three days ago, but when I tried to read it, I suddenly found that I'd gone blind in my right eye. But I couldn't use the Sharingan, you see, because I was supposed to be resting…"

"Save it," Sakura said, stopping him with a hand. "I get the picture. You forgot. I hope this thing tells me what to pack," she grumbled, walking over and taking the offered scroll containing the details of what would be her life for the next who knew how long.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning then!" Kakashi said brightly. "At eight o'clock sharp!"

"So eleven?"

He grinned. "More like ten."

Sakura sighed. "Twelve," she said to Ino, as Kakashi disappeared from her apartment window with a poof.

Ino shook her head. "All these years, and I still don't know how to tell Kakashi time."

"Believe me, it's a headache. It took me this long just to figure it out, and I'm _on _his team."

Sakura opened the scroll and skimmed its contents. There wasn't much in the way of detailing what sort of situations they might come across, but the scroll was clear. They would be on their mission until they found their objective.

"We'd better pack some durable clothes, and for warmer weather, too. This could be a _long _mission."


	17. A New Mission Begins

**~A/N: Wow! I can't believe I've been writing this story for only a month. It seems like it's been longer than that! Anyway, here's a new chapter a bit earlier than I thought I'd get it posted, so enjoy! Oh, and hopefully no one had issues with the last chapter, but the upload messed up the first time, so I deleted it and uploaded it again like two minutes after I'd posted the original chapter. So, sorry if you got two notifications, or anything like that**

**Seventeen: A New Mission**

Sure enough, when Sakura showed up at the Konoha gates a few minutes before noon, Kakashi was nowhere to be found. She sighed impatiently, ready to get on with her mission. She hadn't slept particularly well the night before—if she were honest, it was nerves—and she was anxious to get the mission started. The sooner they found the information about the rebels in the Land of Silver, the sooner they—and the rest of Team Seven—could come home.

Everyone had a bad feeling about this mission, and it was starting to rub off on Sakura. She sensed that if they didn't get out while they could, the Konoha shinobi were going to be dragged into something that was far bigger than they'd thought.

"Waiting for Kakashi?" Kotetsu asked, leaning his head out of his booth so he could talk to her.

"How'd you guess?" she asked sarcastically.

"How many other perennially tardy shinobi do we have around here, eh?"

The dark-haired man's grin was contagious, and Sakura couldn't help but smile. "I suppose you're right. Considering how important timing is to a ninja, I'm surprised he's still alive."

She paused, tilting her head expectantly, but she was met with silence.

"What?" Izumo asked, looking around.

"Nothing," Sakura said. "Kakashi just has a habit of suddenly appearing as soon as I say something that he might find insulting."

"What are you saying about me now, Sakura?"

"Ah, speak of the devil. Nothing, Kakashi. You're perfect."

The silver-haired jonin ambled up to the trio, his bag slung casually over one shoulder.

"That's more like it," he grinned.

"Ready to go?" Sakura asked, turning without bothering to wait for his answer.

"Don't you want to know _why _I was late?"

She rolled her eyes. "I don't need to hear another one of your crazy excuses."

"Aw, but this one's _real _this time," Kakashi protested, following Sakura with a sad look in his eye.

The two gatekeepers chuckled to themselves. Interactions between members of Kakashi's team were always fun entertaining to witness.

"Uh-huh, I'm sure it was. Bye Kotetsu, Izumo," Sakura called, waving her hand as she crossed out of Konoha and into Fire country.

"Bye Sakura. Take care of Kakashi!" Izumo called.

"Heh. I bet those two'll take care," Kotetsu grinned as soon as the ANBU pair was out of earshot.

"Huh? You don't mean…"

"Of course I do. Didn't you see the way they were talking back and forth?"

"But no…not like that."

"Yes like that!" Kotetsu said, throwing his arms up in the air. "Come on, how often have you seen Hatake act like that around a girl, hm? Like _ever? _I don't think so. And I'm sure you've heard the rumors."

"They're just teammates," Izumo said. "_All _of Team Kakashi acts like that around each other, hence the rumors."

"I'm just saying," Kotetsu said when he saw the look Izumo gave him.

"You gossip too much," his friend grumbled.

"And you're too much of a prude, so there."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Izumo asked.

"I'm just saying, you haven't had sex in like—"

"Okay, we are _not _going to talk about this. Besides if we're talking about our sex lives, everyone knows mine is way better than yours."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

* * *

"You think Kotetsu and Izumo are still arguing about something?" Sakura asked as the village gates disappeared behind them.

Kakashi shrugged. "Probably. You know those two. So don't you want to hear my excuse for being late?"

"Not particularly, but you seem to want to tell me, so go ahead. I swear though, if it's about a black cat or an old lady again, I'm going to punch you in the face."

"Somebody's not in a very good mood this morning."

"My mood is fine," Sakura snapped. "And it's not morning, it's _afternoon. _We've wasted almost a whole day, so go on, let's hear why."

"Well, you see, I haven't been in ANBU in a long time, so I only have one uniform, which could potentially have posed a problem for this mission, so I had to go get another one."

Sakura stopped in her tracks, looking at him with a frown on her face.

"What?" Kakashi asked, worried he had something on his face.

"That might be the most realistic excuse you've ever come up with. In fact, it's so realistic that I think I actually believe you."

"You don't trust your old sensei?" he asked, pretending to be hurt.

"Of course not," Sakura said happily. "And don't worry about being late, I only got to the gate like ten minutes before you did, and I only got there that early because I like talking with Kotetsu and Izumo."

"Ah, you know me so well," Kakashi said, giving her his eye smile.

"Seven years will do that."

"Let's not talk about time. It makes me feel old."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Ever since you turned thirty, _everything's _made you feel old, _sensei." _

She knew calling him sensei was what made him feel the oldest, but she couldn't resist teasing him. She wondered if she'd be pushing it too far, but she couldn't help herself.

"Maybe you are old, and you just can't admit it."

"I am _not_ old!"

Kakashi sounded so much like a child throwing a tantrum that Sakura found bursts of laughter coming from her mouth. She tried to rein it in, but one look at her team leader's indignant face was enough to open the gates and let her laugher flood out.

"Happy now?" Kakashi asked when Sakura was finally able to control herself.

"Yeah, I think so. Ow, that actually hurt my stomach."

"That means you haven't been doing enough sit-ups."

"Well it's not my fault I had a gaping side wound and had to take a week off."

Kakashi scoffed. "It was hardly gaping."

"Well _excuse me_ for not being almost-dead enough for the great Kakashi Hatake."

He shrugged. "Yeah, I've seen better."

She snorted. "Mostly on yourself."

She had him there, which Kakashi conceded with a tilt of his head. Sakura laughed again, looking up at him with her twinkling green eyes. He grinned back down at her.

This was what he loved most about being with Sakura. The playful banter that the two of them could share. To anyone else, their conversation might have seemed morbid, but they knew each other and they knew how to laugh at things that ordinary people might have found distressing.

Kakashi realized, not for the first time, that he and Sakura shared many of the same coping mechanisms.

* * *

"So what's the plan?" Sakura asked as they set up camp somewhere in the middle of Fire Country that night.

They still had a few hours to go before sunset, but neither of them was in a particular hurry to get to the Land of Silver. It would be a long mission any way they sliced it, so they weren't going to rush it for no reason.

"We start at the place I found their camp the first time and go from there. I have no idea how we'll pick up a trail, or how long it will take, but we should find a base or two to use and work from there. Then I guess we just look for signs of a large group, or listen for rumors of an army."

Sakura nodded. It was a solid plan, considering they didn't have any details to help them make a real plan.

"And I'll continue to train you while we're searching, if you want," Kakashi added.

"Like with my new jutsu?"

Kakashi shrugged. "If you want."

"Yeah," she said. "I wish I could figure out what it's lacking."

"Let me see what you've got so far."

"Right now?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Okay," Sakura shrugged. "But don't get your hopes up."

"I have no expectations."

"That doesn't exactly make me feel better," she said flatly, but she stood up and walked over to the clearing and made the necessary hand signs.

Kakashi felt something strange—it was some sort of sensation, but he couldn't quite describe what it was—and suddenly Sakura was behind him, her fist poised at his cheek. If he'd been her enemy, she would have taken him out with a chakra-enhanced punch.

"It's a jutsu that affects your enemy's perception of time," Kakashi said knowingly. Now he understood why she was having such trouble mastering it. Jutsus that dealt with time were difficult enough to learn; creating one of your own was nearly impossible.

"Yeah," Sakura said, sitting down beside him. "But there's still something missing with it. It's supposed to make it so that the enemy feels like no time at all has passed from when I use the jutsu to when I hit him, but you could tell I'd placed you under a genjutsu, couldn't you?"

"Hm. I see your point. Yes, I could tell something was off with my senses, but I couldn't quite figure out what it was. Now I realize that it was my sense of time, but when I was under the genjutsu I could only sense that something was wrong."

"So it works?"

"Kind of. It would be completely effective on lower-level ninja. It could even work on chuunin. They might realize something was wrong, but they wouldn't be able to do anything about it."

"But it wouldn't work on any ninja higher than that?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No, not yet. They'd be able to see through it. If I'd used my Sharingan, I would have been able to dispel it instantly."

"Oh." Sakura slumped, and Kakashi could tell she was discouraged.

"Don't get upset. It just means that your jutsu isn't finished yet. Let me think on it for a couple days. I'm sure there's something you can do to help with the time alteration, but I can't think of what it is right now. Otherwise it's a very good jutsu. It's perfectly suited to your attack strengths."

"Thanks, Kakashi."

"Anything for my favorite girl teammate."

"I'm your only girl teammate."

"Yes, but even if Sasuke were a girl, you'd still be my favorite."

Sakura laughed, picturing Sasuke as a girl. "I don't know if that's really a compliment, Kakashi."

His response was his signature eye crinkle.

* * *

"I thought it was getting warmer," Sakura complained as they rolled out their sleeping bags later that night. Once the weather warmed up, they wouldn't have to worry about bedrolls, but until then, the two ANBU were going to need all the warmth they could get, because it seemed like the past week's weather had been a fluke.

"It was," Kakashi said. "Key word being _was_."

He didn't like the cold either. He hadn't bothered with getting a long sleeved version of the ANBU attire, so like Sakura, he was just going to have to deal and hope it got warm soon.

"Ugh, I wish it was summer!"

"Careful what you wish for there," Kakashi said, disliking the intense heat as much as the cold.

"Speak for yourself. I'd much rather be hot than cold."

"I'd rather be comfortable," the silver-haired jonin grumbled, and Sakura was beginning to think maybe Yamato hadn't been joking about Kakashi's pouting.

"What?" Kakashi asked, and the medic realized she'd been grinning.

"Nothing, I was just thinking Yamato might have been right about something."

Kakashi snorted. "Well that _would_ be a first."

Sakura turned to him, one eyebrow raised. "He said you were a pouter."

"Did he now?"

"Yep."

"And you believed him?"

"I do now."

"I don't pout."

"_Sure _you don't."

"I don't!"

"See! You're doing it! Right now!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

Kakashi laughed, and Sakura found herself joining it. His good mood was contagious, and even though she knew he'd just been humoring her, she found she enjoyed teasing him.

Maybe their mission wouldn't be so long after all.


	18. Frozen

**Eighteen: Frozen**

"You know, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," Sakura said as she and Kakashi dashed through the leaves. They were moving a bit faster than their usual pace, because the temperature seemed to have dropped another ten degrees that night. They were both freezing when they'd woken up in the morning.

"And what is that?" Kakashi asked, falling into stride with her.

"Are you trying to grow your hair out?"

Kakashi almost tripped on a stray branch. He'd completely forgotten about his hair. He'd meant to ask Sakura to cut it before they left on their mission, but once he forgot he was just hoping she wouldn't notice. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side, and Sakura's perceptive skills were as sharp as ever.

"Because if you are," Sakura continued, "you really should let me style it or something. I seriously didn't think your hair could get anymore lopsided, but with only one side long enough to pull back…well, I just think it could use a little work."

"I'm not growing my hair out," Kakashi grumbled. "Who do you think I am, Sasuke? I just didn't have time to cut it before I went on that ANBU mission, and I forgot to ask you to cut it last week."

She paused, squinting at him. "Can you even use your Sharingan? Your bangs are like a foot long!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes, then realized Sakura couldn't see that he did, because his bangs were too long.

"You can cut it tonight when we make camp."

Sakura laughed. "Yeah, I'm thinking I'd better. Wouldn't want you tripping and falling because you can't see where you're going."

"It's not _that _bad."

"Yes it is. At least, it is on your left side. How does your hair even grow like that?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I dunno."

"You're such a _guy._"

They made quick time, easily making it into the Land of Silver by that afternoon. The ANBU pair stopped to take few breaks, mainly because they were both too cold to want to stay still for too long, and they found the sun was still up when Kakashi signaled her to stop.

"We should stop here tonight," Kakashi said. "The rebels aren't willing to come out this far. It's too close to the border."

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked. "This area looks like it wouldn't make a bad campsite.

"That's why I used it to make a base when I was here earlier. But yeah, I'm positive they won't find us."

"Then let's get a fire going. I'm freezing!"

Kakashi went around collecting firewood while Sakura rummaged around in her pack, looking for something to eat. She was cold, she was tired, and she didn't feel like eating rations again for dinner.

"What are you looking for?" Kakashi asked, performing the hand signs for a fireball jutsu to get the fire started.

"Real food," Sakura said, grinning.

Finally, she found the package she was looking for. It was just a few bits of meat that she'd wrapped up before leaving, but it was better than what they'd had for lunch or dinner last night.

They ate in a companionable silence. Neither felt the need to say anything; they simply enjoyed the fire's warmth while they allowed their weary bodies to rest. They had traveled hard that day.

"We're going to have to put the fire out soon, aren't we?" Sakura moped as she watched the sun set lower in the sky. They days were certainly getting longer, which gave the pink-haired medic hope that warmer weather was on its way, but that wasn't any comfort to her now.

"Sorry," Kakashi nodded. "We can't afford to be seen by the enemy."

"I thought you said the enemy wouldn't come out this far."

He shrugged. "We have to be careful."

"I know," Sakura sighed. "Sorry, I'm just grumpy because it's cold. Come here, I need to cut your hair before we lose all the light."

Kakashi complied, sliding over to sit between Sakura and the fire. The soft flames tickled his skin, warming his body. He grimaced, not wanting to think about how he would feel once the sun went down and they had to put out their only source of warmth.

"You want me to make it look like it always does?" Sakura asked, pulling a kunai knife out of her pouch. She'd thought about using her katana, but thought that maybe Kakashi would protest.

"Might as well. It always grows out like that anyway, so why bother fighting it?"

Sakura laughed. "I think you've gotten a little attached to your hair."

He smiled. "Well, I'm not like you girls. I'm perfectly content to have one hairstyle for my entire life. Besides, I already know how to fight with it like that."

"You're so boring."

"I am not."

"Alright, alright," Sakura said. "I'll make it look how it usually does."

It didn't take her long to finish Kakashi's haircut. She would never understand it, but it was like his hair _wanted _to go back to its usual left-leaning spikiness. Once she'd cut off the excess inches, it seemed like it just popped back into place.

"I wish _my_ hair would do that," she grumbled, slicing of a few split ends and packing her kunai away. "Okay. All finished."

"How does it look?" Kakashi asked.

"Exactly how it always does."

"Good. I was beginning to think something was going to change. I really hate change, you know?"

Sakura snorted. "Yeah. I know. I've seen how hideously out of date everything in your apartment is. You know, usually it's only old people who hate change."

"I'm not that old," Kakashi scoffed, causing Sakura to laugh.

"Always so defensive when it comes to age, aren't we?"

Kakashi glared at her, but Sakura knew he wasn't mad. He'd walked into that one.

"We really should put out the fire," he said, moving to unroll his sleeping bag.

"Yeah, I suppose we should. I really don't want to, though." She shivered in anticipation of the cold night ahead.

"It'll get warmer soon," he assured her, but his words didn't make her feel any warmer when he put out the fire as the sun finally dipped under the horizon.

Sakura unrolled her sleeping bag, laying it out beside Kakashi's and promptly crawling in it.

"G-goodnight," she said through chattering teeth.

"Goodnight, Sakura."

* * *

Sasuke groaned. Leave it to Naruto to find the _one_ ramen shop in the entire village and decide that was where he wanted to go for dinner. Every. Single. Night.

"Aw, come on Sasuke! I know it's not as good as Ichiraku's but it's still ramen!"

"That's the point!" the Sharingan user exclaimed.

"Huh?" The blonde cocked his head to one side, confused.

"I think Sasuke means that because we eat ramen so much back in Konoha that we might have been hoping for a bit of a break."

"But why would anyone want a break from ramen?"

"Ah! Because we eat it _every _freaking day!" Sasuke said, nearly pulling out his hair. It was bad enough that he was followed by a posse of crazy fangirls—much like the one from his genin days—who thought he was some sort of rock star, but now Naruto wanted ramen for dinner. Again.

He was getting really sick of this mission, and being team leader.

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't realize you hated it so much. I'm sorry, Sasuke. We can go somewhere else."

His blonde best friend actually looked sad—an expression Sasuke hadn't seen much of since he'd come back to the village—and it made the dark-haired Uchiha feel bad that he'd snapped.

"It's alright, Naruto. I wasn't mad at you or anything. I guess we could get ramen—"

"Yeah! All right! You're the best, Sasuke. Let's go Sai!"

The blonde jinchuriki grabbed the ex-foundation shinobi by the arm, dragging him away to the ramen shop, and Sasuke knew his friend had pulled a fast one on him.

"Hmph," he grunted, following his two friends. As unappealing as ramen sounded, he couldn't go without dinner.

Naruto and Sai had already found a table when Sasuke walked in. The first time the trio had walked into the restaurant, Sasuke had hoped that they served more than just ramen—they had a menu, after all—but he'd been disappointed. Naruto, of course, had been elated that they had so many different types of ramen, and before Sasuke or Sai had a chance to have a say in the matter, he had proclaimed that he would try them all.

Sasuke slid into the empty spot next to Sai. Naruto, he noted, was already looking around for a waiter. Then the blonde frowned, squinting his eyes to get a better look at a figure standing outside.

Sasuke followed his line of sight and saw a somewhat tall, brown-haired man that looked familiar.

"Isn't that—" Sai started, but he was cut off by the jinchuriki.

"Hey! Captain Yamato! What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, waving the wood-style user over to them.

"Hi guys. I'm here to back you up. Lady Tsunade thought it would be best if you had a full squad here," he said as he sat down next to the blonde. Sasuke and Sai looked over at him.

"So Sakura's mission is finished then?" Sasuke asked. "How'd it go?"

Yamato ran a hand through his hair. "Well, we ran into some trouble."

Sai frowned. "What kind of trouble?"

"There was a group of Rain ninja out there collecting on old bounties. We ran into them, but Kakashi showed up at the last minute to help us out."

He decided to leave out the fact that Sakura had nearly been killed. That was something she could tell the boys if she wanted. Plus he didn't fancy the trio beating him up on his first day back.

"So that's why he took off then," Naruto said.

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, he must have known the group was in that area and gone after you two. Lucky."

The dark-haired Uchiha looked at Yamato on that last word, and the ANBU captain had to resist the urge to flinch under his gaze. Even without the Sharingan, Sasuke Uchiha's eyes were intense.

"So then where are Sakura and Kakashi-sensei now?" Naruto asked, looking around as if they might appear from the same place as Yamato.

"Sakura may have taken her first ANBU mission, but she still isn't completely finished with her training. She still needs someone to supervise her for another couple months, and given everything that happened, I think Kakashi realized that it would be best for everyone if _he _took on that role."

Again, Yamato left out the fact that he had basically made the decision for them by volunteering to come to the Land of Silver. But it was for their own good.

"Hn," Sasuke said, a small frown on his face, but it was Naruto that voiced their thoughts.

"Wow, really? I mean, I'm glad he's willing to train her and all, but I guess I sort of thought that he'd be mad at her or something. I mean, there had to be a reason Sakura didn't tell him she was joining ANBU when he left, right?"

"Yeah, he was a bit…hesitant…at first, but I think he's gotten over it," Yamato said. "It'll be fine."

"Yeah, you're right. It's Sakura and Kakashi-sensei. What could possibly go wrong?"

* * *

Kakashi didn't want to be caught out in the cold any more than Sakura had, but he had to make a few last minute checks to the perimeter before he would allow himself to fall unconscious. When he returned, pulling the edges of his sleeping bag to his chin, he noticed Sakura still shaking uncontrollably. He waited another five minutes, but her tremors never stopped.

Kakashi sighed. She would never get to sleep like that.

"Sakura?" he called.

The pink-haired girl turned towards him, a pained look on her face. "What?"

"Bring your sleeping bag over here."

"What?"

"You're so cold you're shaking. You'll never get to sleep at this rate. Come _here_."

"What, you want to share body heat?" she asked, always thinking like a medic.

"That would be the idea," Kakashi responded, patting the empty space next to him.

She laid her sleeping bag down and crawled inside. He pulled her small frame close to his chest, frowning when he realized how cold the medic actually was. He rubbed her arms, generating friction that would hopefully help to warm her up.

"Thanks," she said, as she stopped shaking.

Kakashi grinned. "You're welcome, you wimp."

"It's not my fault I don't have as much body mass as you to keep me warm," she shot back.

Kakashi was silent for a moment before he realized what she was implying. "Are you calling me fat, Haruno?"

He felt her laugh as she tucked her head against his chest.

"I don't think you want me to answer that question."

**~A/N: Hey guys! I hope you're all still enjoying this story. Anyway, I just wanted to give you all a heads up. I'm going to be out of town until next week, so there won't be another chapter until Sunday at the absolute earliest. I'd bet more on Monday or maybe even Tuesday though. Sorry, I've been pampering you with at least two a week, sometimes more haha. But anyway, I tried not to leave it on a cliffhanger or something mean like that. I'm going to a bunch of baseball games with my dad, and I'm not bringing my computer with me. **

**Also, on an unrelated note, Barnes and Noble is having a big manga sale (buy 2 get 1 free) with their VIZ titles, so guess who updated her Naruto collection just now? Hehe sales are the best. I just did the same thing with Bleach last spring, so I figured now's a good a time as any to update my other favorite collection**


	19. Out of Options

**~A/N: Hello! I'm back from my trip! I had a wonderful time and enjoyed hanging out in Philadelphia, going to some baseball games, and relaxing on ****the shore :) But now I'm back, and with a new chapter for you all. I hope the wait wasn't too bad. I tried to update yesterday, but my internet was out :(**

**Hmmm...I feel like I had something else to tell you all, but I can't think of what it is. Other than that updates may only come a couple times a week for the next week or so. I've got about a week before I move back into the dorms, and I'm going to be busy with packing, the 2-day drive to school, and unpacking, but if I'm going to be gone from this story for more than a week, I will be sure to let you know!**

**Anyway, happy reading :D**

**Nineteen: Out of Options**

Kakashi awoke the next morning to the sound of something rustling near their camp. Instantly he was awake and alert, rolling so Sakura was underneath him and his body was acting as a shield between her and their opponent.

Then a bird flew out of the bushes, and Kakashi let himself relax. He removed his arms from where they had been resting protectively around Sakura and sat back. The pink-haired kunoichi wearily rubbed the sleep from her eyes, looking at his questioningly.

"What was that all about?" she asked, stifling a yawn.

"There was a bird. I was worried it was going to attack us."

"Right," Sakura laughed. "I know you were just trying to put the moves on me, Hatake."

Kakashi shrugged. "What can I say? We _did _almost sleep in the same sleeping bag last night."

Sakura's face reddened at his words, and she started to scoot farther away from him, but she was still entangled in the sleeping bag, so her plan didn't work.

"Sorry about that," she mumbled.

Kakashi grinned, reaching out to ruffle her bedhead. "Don't worry about it. That was the coldest night I've experienced in a long time, so I was thankful for the extra heat myself."

"I hope it was a fluke," Sakura grumbled. "I don't know if I can take weeks of that. If I'd known it was going to be this cold, I would've packed a warmer shirt."

"It already feels warmer this morning than it did yesterday, so I think we should be okay."

"I hope you're right."

* * *

The next few days and nights were cold, but not nearly as uncomfortable as they had been. Luckily, Sakura hadn't had another embarrassing moment like the night before. She was just glad it was Kakashi she'd been on the mission with. Naruto or Sasuke would never have let her live it down. They would have teased her relentlessly about not being able to handle the cold.

Sakura turned back to the task at hand. Pakkun had picked up a group's scent a few days ago, and she and Kakashi were currently tracking it. According to Pakkun, the group hadn't moved, but he couldn't find them either, which likely meant they were using genjutsu to hide themselves. It was a promising lead, but Kakashi had warned her not to get her hopes up. It could be nothing more than a group of merchants with hired ninja. The Land of Silver wasn't exactly stable these days.

Sakura had a good feeling, though. Pakkun said the group had been stationary for days, and travelling merchants wouldn't camp out for that long under normal circumstances.

She was ready for some action. They had trained together a few times on the mission so far, but Sakura wanted a chance to really show Kakashi her new skills.

She grinned, flexing her fingers in anticipation. Now she finally understood how Naruto felt when he was ready for a big fight. Excited.

* * *

They made it to the site Pakkun had told them about in just under three hours. They hadn't pushed the pace too much, so neither of them was breathing that hard, but the pair still stopped to take a quick break and grab some water before they continued on into potentially hostile territory.

"So what's the plan?" Sakura asked, taking another sip of cool water from the stream.

"We'll go check it out together first, that way we can be sure that we're not going to accidentally assault some helpless merchants."

"They're hardly helpless if they're hiding under a genjutsu. There would have to be at least one decent ninja with them."

"Well, then we don't want to pick a fight by accident. Besides, you'd probably just punch him into the ground or something, and then we'd have that mess to deal with."

"Are you trying to say I have no self control, Kakashi?" she asked, rounding on him with a glint in her eye.

"No, I was simply saying that you're so strong that there's no way the other ninja would be able to defeat you."

Someone snorted, and the two ANBU turned around, forgetting that Pakkun was lounging on a rock in the sun behind them. "Nice try, boss."

Sakura grinned. "See, even Pakkun doesn't buy your lame excuses."

The silver-haired man just shrugged. "I try."

"Come on, let's go get this over with," Sakura said. "I'm itching to beat up some merchants."

* * *

Sweat started to drip into her eyes, and Sakura became fairly sure that they weren't dealing with a group of merchants. She'd been trying to break the genjutsu for the past half hour, with little luck. It had weakened a bit—Kakashi thought he had seen a ripple with his Sharingan—but the illusion had yet to budge. It still looked like they were looking into another section of forest, and if Pakkun hadn't reassured them both numerous times that this was where the scent was coming from, Sakura would have thought that they were just wasting their time.

Then she'd felt it. It was small, but she could feel almost like she got a grip on something, but something intangible. In a way, it felt similar to the technique that Ino's family used, and Sakura wondered if the enemy could have a mind jutsu user among them.

She worried that they would be detected as she worked to dispel the jutsu, but Kakashi had assured her that she wasn't going to get caught.

"You're better at this stuff than me now," he said with a shrug. "They won't notice you doing it because you've got such precise control over your chakra."

Her brow furrowed in concentration as she worked on loosening another of the knots in the genjutsu. Or at least that was the best explanation she could come up with for what they were when Kakashi had asked.

The whole jutsu was intangible, but in her mind she pictured it like a bunch of tiny knots that she had to unravel. It was a painstakingly slow process, but Sakura just shut her eyes and willed herself to concentrate harder.

_There! _

Her eyes snapped open as she inhaled, performing the command that would release the genjutsu.

Kakashi watched as a slight ripple started through the air, revealing a small campsite hidden within. He was impressed. That genjutsu had been done by a very high-level shinobi, and the precision needed to break it was almost inconceivable. Sakura had really grown.

"Well done," he said, standing up and moving beside her.

"Thanks," she said, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.

The pink-haired girl moved over to where they'd stashed their packs, armor, and masks. The gear could too easily be recognized as Konoha ANBU—Sakura made a mental not to suggest to the Hokage that ANBU not wear standard, identifiable uniforms if they wanted to keep a semblance of being unconnected to the village—so they had left it behind for this particular bit of the mission. The all-black coloring of their current attire would be better suited for sneaking around anyway.

"We should each take one direction and meet up halfway," Kakashi said when she crouched behind him near the entrance to the camp.

They were lucky there was lots of foliage around to give them good hiding spots, and it didn't seem like there were that many guards out patrolling. The genjutsu barrier had given them a false sense of security, it seemed.

"Be careful, though," he said. "Just because we can't see the guards doesn't mean there aren't any here."

"Right." Sakura nodded. She knew it was a common tactic for a regiment to sometimes keep its guards hidden, to trick the enemy into being careless. "I'll go left, you go right?"

Kakashi nodded, and disappeared in a flash, leaving Sakura alone. She took a deep breath, telling herself to think of it as her first solo mission. She was ready for this.

* * *

Sakura realized quickly that she'd been nervous for nothing. She hardly saw anyone around the outskirts of the camp, and those she did see appeared to be total idiots. Once, two men had rounded a corner where she had been hiding, and she thought she'd be caught for sure, but all she'd had to do was flatten herself up against the wall and they'd walked straight past her. She hadn't even been masking her chakra.

Despite the fact that the camp seemed to full of idiots, Sakura hadn't been able to find a trace of where any important information or secrets on the rebellion might be kept. Even though she and Kakashi had agreed to only scout out the perimeter before meeting up on the other side of the camp, the pink-haired medic decided one quick trip into the heart of enemy territory wouldn't hurt.

Taking extra care to make sure she wouldn't be sensed in any way, Sakura crept silently through the shadows until she found a tent that looked larger than the rest. It was also guarded more heavily than the perimeter, and she knew she'd need Kakashi's help if they were going to break in there.

Silently moving back the way she came, Sakura finished her half of the patrol as quickly as she could while still doing an effective job. She wanted to find Kakashi and tell him about the tent.

Her ears picked up on the faint sound of voices coming from one of the back alleyways, and Sakura, deciding she wanted to eavesdrop while she waited for her partner, jumped into a tree, hiding herself amongst the leaves.

"…Hear about the new recruits?" one of the men was saying to his partner.

"Yeah. It sure sucks to be them. I'm glad we joined last year so we didn't have to go through all that."

The first man shuddered. "No kidding. I don't want that crazy guy digging around in _my _head."

Sakura frowning. That was an interesting piece of information. It seemed they did have someone among them who could use a mind jutsu.

"Ever since that Leaf guy pretended to be a new recruit to figure out the boss's identity, it's been ridiculously hard to get in. And even those who do have to pass all sorts of tests. If this keeps up, I don't know if there will still be kids who want to join."

The men were starting to walk farther away, and Sakura tuned them out now that they were discussing the likelihood of the rebellion meeting its new soldier quota. What she'd just heard was far more interesting.

If they were hoping to infiltrate the rebellion again to get their information, it was going to be a lot more difficult than last time. Unless she managed to come up with a medical jutsu that could grow an eyeball, there was no way Kakashi would be able to go with her. She would have to do this mission on her own. He probably wouldn't like it, but tough. She was perfectly capable of handling herself, and if she pretended to just be a medic, with no apparent fighting abilities, she was sure she'd be able to stay under the radar.

The two men were almost out of sight, and Sakura was poised to jump down from her hiding place when they heard the sounds of a loud commotion coming from within the camp. Both men drew their swords, instantly on alert.

Despite the noise coming from behind them, the men stayed their ground, making sure no enemy could take advantage of a distraction and sneak in from that side. Sakura gritted her teeth. The sounds were coming from the side Kakashi had taken, but with the two men standing guard like that, there was no way she'd be able to move from her hiding place.

She cursed the fact that she'd run into probably the only competent members of the entire rebel army right when Kakashi might need back up. If the men he'd run into were anything like the ones she'd encountered, Sakura would be shocked if he'd gotten himself into trouble, but with Kakashi she could never be sure. Trouble had a habit of finding him.

Her fears were confirmed when a boy—no older than fourteen—ran up to the two guards, panting excitedly.

"They caught him!" he said. "They caught that ninja who infiltrated one of our bases last week!"

"What? You're kidding me? He was stupid enough to come back _and _get caught?" the second man asked, and Sakura found herself agreeing with him.

The boy nodded. "Yeah. The scouting patrol found him sneaking around the outskirts of camp when they were coming back. I heard he killed half of them before they were finally able to take him down."

Sakura bit her lip. That sounded like Kakashi all right, but what was she supposed to do? There were no other ANBU squads even remotely close to them, so she had no way of getting any backup. She would just have to hope that what the boy had said about Kakashi taking out half a squad was true, because she was going to have to handle the situation by herself.

"Come on!" the boy continued. "They're holding him in the middle of camp and calling a big meeting. I think they want to make sure there's no traitor here, pretending to be one of us."

Sakura dropped silently from her perch as soon as the three soldiers had disappeared from sight. She would have to be quick. With Kakashi's reputation, and all that he knew about their leaders, there was no guarantee the enemy would leave him alive. They might decide he wasn't worth it and just kill him before he had a chance to escape.

She couldn't take that risk. She would have to hope she could take out enough of them to free Kakashi, and then hope the two of them would be strong enough to make their retreat.

_This is going to be troublesome, _she thought, thinking of Shikamaru. She was sure the master tactician would have been able to come up with a strategy for the situation, but Sakura just couldn't come up with another option. Honestly, she didn't think there was one.

"Think like Shikamaru," she whispered under her breath, looking around her to see if any miscellaneous objects lying around would be useful.

Suddenly a light bulb flashed in her mind, and she inhaled sharply, fingering a tiny charm-sized scroll she had hidden away in her pocket. It was a similar to a beacon of sorts. Shikamaru had gotten them made after the chuunin exams and made all the members of the Konoha 12 carry them, back when he was the sole chuunin of the group.

According to what he'd told them then, if they were ever in trouble, they could just activate the scroll and it would alert the nearest members to their location. No one had ever used it, of course, but Sakura figured it probably made Shikamaru feel better. He'd taken the responsibility of protecting his friends pretty seriously, even back then.

Sakura had no idea if the scroll would still work. It had been more than six years since the chuunin exams, but she knew for a fact that every remaining member of the Konoha 12 still took them on missions. The tiny scrolls were almost like lucky charms to the shinobi now.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the scroll, nipping her finger and drawing a few drops of blood. Performing the hand signs to activate the scroll, Sakura hid it behind a tree and turned back to the camp. She had no clue if backup would arrive, but she didn't have anything to lose by trying.

If it worked, she had to remember to thank Shikamaru for being a paranoid thirteen-year-old when she saw him next.

"Hey! You! What are you doing out here?"

Sakura froze. Someone, a guard presumably, had just appeared around the corner. Luckily, she'd moved away from the scroll, so he had no reason to suspect her of anything—yet.

"I was out on the perimeter," she said vaguely, hoping 'scouting the perimeter' fell in line with something that was common practice around their camp. "I heard there was something going on. Some spy got caught, or something like that? They said I had to come back."

The man nodded, apparently buying her story. "Yeah. The boss is going to decide what to do with him."

Sakura simply nodded, not trusting herself to say anymore without giving herself away as an outsider. It seemed the various people stationed here didn't know each other all that well. She could use that to her advantage.

"Sato! There you are, let's go. We don't want to be late. Who are you?" Another man appeared around the corner, looking Sakura over and fixing her with a suspicious stare.

"She was out on the perimeter. Just heard the news," Sato said.

His friend's eyes narrowed, and Sakura got the feeling he wasn't going to buy her cover story.

"Kimiko's group was out today. I don't remember anyone in her battalion having pink hair. "

Sakura cursed the fact that she couldn't have been born a brunette, or at least a redhead. How many shinobi honestly had pink hair? It wasn't exactly a subtle color. She smirked, realizing that between herself and Kakashi, they made quite the recognizable pair.

Both men reached for their weapons, but before they had a change to move, Sakura had them each in a headlock. Sato was clearly struggling, clawing at her arm to try to breathe, but the second man was obviously a more seasoned fighter. He squirmed free of her grasp, taking advantage of the fact that the pink-haired girl had only one arm to subdue him with.

Unfortunately for the man, one hand was all Sakura needed to crush Sato's windpipe. With him out of the picture, she was now free to deal with the other.

His eyes widened as Sakura charged him. She could see that he was preparing to call out for help, recognizing that she was the superior fighter. He opened his mouth to yell for backup, but a well-placed shuriken to the throat silenced him for good.

As a medic, Sakura new he would bleed out if she just left him there. She had no qualms about killing her enemies anymore—even less when someone she cared about was in danger—but despite that she still wasn't careless, or cruel.

She walked over to the man and snapped his neck. The chances were almost zero, but she couldn't risk someone coming across him and finding out about her before she got to Kakashi. And just because he was her enemy didn't mean he needed to suffer.

The pink-haired girl unlodged the shuriken from his neck, wiping away the blood and putting it back in her pocket. She didn't know how many men she was going to have to face, so she was going to take all the ninja tools she had.

"Hold on Kakashi," she whispered, sprinting off in the shadows. "I'm coming."

* * *

Four ANBU agents were lounging around their campfire, enjoying their first semi-normal meal in weeks when one suddenly shot up, a hand flying into her pocket.

"What in the world…?"

The other three frowned, unsure of what was going on, before another shifted, reaching his hand into his pocket to pull out a tiny scroll. It was glowing pink. His eyes met dark ones behind a porcelain mask.

"This is…" he started.

"From the chuunin exams," she confirmed.

"Pink?"

"It must be Sakura."

The pair looked at the scrolls in the palm of their hands, then back at each other. The girl gave a tiny nod of her head, and he turned to their two confused teammates.

"Hold on to these scrolls for us. We've got a mission to go on."

"What?" the ANBU captain started. He had no clue what the two newest members of his team were talking about. He'd never seen a scroll like that before.

"Don't worry, we'll be right back. After all, we both got left out of the rescue missions in the past, so now it's our turn to show our friends we're not to be left behind anymore!" the girl said, before disappearing with a poof, along with the second member of the squad.

The captain remained standing for a few seconds, totally and completely unsure of what had just happened. He was thankful for the mask, so his remaining subordinate wouldn't see it mouth hanging agape. Finally he shut it, rolling his eyes.

"Those brats."


	20. Demonstration of Power

**Twenty: Demonstration of Power**

Kakashi sighed. It really was bad luck that had gotten him into this situation. He'd done what he was supposed to—just sticking to the shadows—and look where it had gotten him. He was sitting up against a pole, his hands bound tightly behind him with chakra rope. He tried loosening the knots, but so far he had been unable to succeed. Kakashi was stuck.

The only comfort he had in his situation was that they hadn't dragged Sakura in yet, which must have meant she'd made it out. He prayed she wasn't stupid enough to come back for him.

Everything had been going according to plan, but really, he should have known better than to think that they could be so lucky. The apparent incompetence of the first men he'd seen had made him think that the mission could be that easy, but he was wrong.

He had made it almost three-quarters of the way to his and Sakura's meeting spot when he'd heard a noise behind him. Recognizing it as the sound of an approaching squad, Kakashi had tried to find a place to hide, but there wasn't enough time. The area he'd been in had been too open.

He cursed the fact that he'd forgotten about the genjutsu barrier. He should have known that the barrier would not only prevent the outside world from sensing what was going on inside the camp, but prevent those inside the camp from sensing what was going on outside of it.

His only chance had been to fight. Considering how recognizable he now was amongst the rebels, he didn't trust his ability to bluff his way out of the situation.

Kakashi knew it would be a scout team heading back in. If nothing from outside the barrier could be sensed, it was logical to assume that there was always a scouting party outside somewhere. He noted that they apparently weren't doing a very good job if he and Sakura had been able to traipse around without attracting any notice.

Kakashi had his weapons out and his Sharingan exposed by the time the scouting group had burst through the barrier. He wasted no time, hurling a shuriken in the direction of the group's apparent leader, and downing him before the man knew he was being attacked.

The rest of the men let out various exclamations of surprise, but Kakashi didn't give them a chance to recover their wits. He attacked quickly and fiercely, trying not to be discouraged by the fact that more men were coming through the barrier.

Realizing he had no other choice, Kakashi activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. There were too many men now for him to handle without the use of the Kamui. Unfortunately, it would sap his strength much quicker, making a long escape harder. He would just have to finish the fight quickly.

Kakashi had managed to dispatch over half of the scouting regiment before he felt his control over the Kamui start to slip. He was getting tired, and he knew it wouldn't be long before it would become impossible for him to use the Mangekyo and move at the same time.

Something sharp lodged in the back of his neck, and Kakashi grabbed it, pulling it out instantly. It was a small senbon, and its tip had clearly been coated with something. His body began to sag, and the silver-haired jonin feared it was poison, but he knew he'd pulled the senbon out before much of the substance could have worked its way into his system. And it would take a lot more than a few drops of even the deadliest poisons to affect him like this.

"A sedative," he murmured, dropping to his knees and cursing himself for getting hit.

His control over his body waned, and Kakashi found himself tipping forward. The ground rushed up to meet his face, then everything went black. When he finally came to, he was slumped up against the post, black cloth back in place covering his left eye, unable to move or use his chakra to free himself.

There was a loud noise somewhere in the back of the crowd that had formed around him. Kakashi wondered if it was the leader, coming to decide his fate. The silver-haired shinobi knew he would likely be killed. It didn't make much sense to keep him alive when he was obviously the strongest person there. His escape would be too high of a risk for them.

The commotion continued, and in a way, Kakashi was glad for it. The men hadn't said much since he'd woken up. They just sat and stared at him, and Kakashi had found it to be quite unnerving.

Suddenly men started dropping like flies, and pit started to form in the bottom of his stomach.

"She wouldn't…" he whispered, but his fears were confirmed when the men in front of him fell, and a flash of pink and black moved to stand protectively in front of him.

"Hey Kakashi," Sakura said, without taking her eyes off the enemies that were carelessly charging her.

They were clumsy, and they didn't have a hope of defeating Sakura as she was now, but that wasn't what worried him. What worried him was what would happen when she started getting tired, or when the enemy realized that they had an immense numbers advantage and started attacking as a group.

"Why did you come back?" Kakashi yelled, straining against his bonds as Sakura took on enemy after enemy, preventing them from attacking him.

"I wasn't going to leave you here, idiot!" she snapped, sparing him a quick glance before turning back to the fight. "What kind of useless teammate do you think I am?"

"The smart one! The one who realizes that without backup this situation is hopeless!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "What makes you think I don't have backup?"

_Shikamaru, I'm trusting you on this one. _

Kakashi frowned. Was she trying to bluff in case their enemies were listening? If that were the case, he wasn't going to ruin her plan by contradicting her in front of them, but it didn't seem like she was acting.

"Shit!" Sakura swore, diving in front of a barrage of shuriken that were aimed at Kakashi. The enemy seemed to have finally figured out that the captive jonin was her weakness.

She got there just in time, blocking the weapons with her own kunai. They clattered uselessly to the ground, and Sakura bent down, stashing a few for her own use later.

Another barrage hit, and this time Sakura wasn't able to block them all. One kunai grazed her right shoulder, while she took another in her left arm to prevent it from hitting Kakashi right between the eyes. There was at least one marksman in the group.

Sakura ripped the kunai out of her arm—not feeling any pain because of the adrenaline—and threw it back at its owner. Her aim was spot-on, and the man dropped to the ground, instantly dead.

The enemy fell back slightly, as if they were just now taking her seriously. Sakura hadn't minded. She was used to being underestimated in battle, and it was something that both Yamato and Kakashi had taught her to use against her enemies.

It seemed someone among the rebels was finally getting them organized, because Sakura heard an authoritative voice bark out some orders, and the front line started creeping forward. At first Sakura thought they were trying to move closer to her, but then the men on the corners started to move and she realized what they were doing.

"Damn it," she barked, hurling shuriken in their direction in hopes of forcing them to back off, but she couldn't keep up a constant barrage while she had to watch her own back.

The men on the corners crept up farther until their formation was more of a semicircle than a straight line. She gritted her teeth, stepping back so she was closer to Kakashi.

The silver-haired man turned his head, taking in the enemy's placement and their angles. His brain analyzed the situation quickly, and he swallowed.

With the formation they were in, she couldn't dodge their attacks and protect him at the same time. She would have to choose.

They had her trapped.

"Don't you dare," Kakashi warned, as the pink-haired medic moved to stand more firmly in front of him. "Get out of here, Sakura! Now! That's an order!"

"Do you really think I'd get very far?" she asked. "No way. I won't run. I'd rather at least give it a fighting shot, wouldn't you?"

Kakashi sighed. He wasn't happy that she wouldn't try to save herself, but Kakashi couldn't say he wasn't proud. She was his student, through and through.

_Those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum. _

He'd taught her that, and she had always been fiercely loyal to her friends and her village, so he couldn't say her decision surprised him.

The man who had orchestrated the attack raised his hand, signaling the men to pull out their weapons. Sakura saw she would be facing a variety of throwing objects, from kunais to shurikens. She braced herself, kunais raised in each hand.

His hand went down, and for an instant Sakura was sure that she was a goner, because a plethora of weapons rained down from the sky, but it wasn't until she heard Kakashi's surprised inhale that she realized the weapons weren't headed towards her. A wall of buzzing insects came up in front of her, and two masked ANBU agents dropped down on either side of her.

Sakura knew who they were instantly.

"Tenten. Shino. You guys came!"

"Yes. And at just the right time, it seems," Shino said, nodding to the two maskless ANBU in greeting.

"Sorry, we're late, Sakura," Tenten said, discarding her used up scroll and pulling out another one.

"But how did you get here?" Kakashi asked. "There's no way you could have been remotely close to us, so Sakura couldn't have put out an SOS."

Sakura grinned, giving him a good view of her face for the first time. "Blame Shikamaru for being a paranoid bastard back when we were kids and he was the only chunin. He made us all carry these charm things, and I guess they can still be used to teleport."

"Yeah, it's good to know they work," Tenten mused. "Someone in research will have to work on these when we get back."

"No kidding," Sakura muttered, wondering exactly how Shikamaru had come across them in the first place.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but I can't keep this wall up forever."

"Oh, right. Sorry, Shino," Tenten apologized. "We can handle these guys, Sakura. You take care of Kakashi."

"Right," she nodded, running back to her team leader and cutting the rope binding his hands. She helped him stand, noting that he was still a bit dizzy.

Kakashi put a hand to his temple. He could feel a massive headache coming on, and he knew he wasn't very steady on his feet after using the Mangekyo Sharingan and being hit with that tranquilizer.

Shino's insect wall came down, and the two sprung into action. Between Shino's thousands of bugs and Tenten's arsenal of weapons, the enemy was getting pushed back easily. They'd had the advantage over Sakura because she had been on her own and had to protect Kakashi, but the Leaf shinobi were clearly superior fighters.

However, they didn't need to kill all the rebels, only hold them off so they could make their escape.

"Let's go," Sakura said, draping Kakashi's arm over her shoulder and making a break for the edge of the camp. A few men managed to follow, but the pink-haired kunoichi was able to take them out with a few well-placed kicks.

Kakashi tried to help her out, but his lack of balance meant he'd really only get in her way, so despite his reluctance to do so, he sat back and allowed her to do all the fighting for him.

Tenten and Shino joined the pair as soon as they'd made it outside the barrier.

"We need to find a safe place to hide out for a bit," Tenten panted as they came up to run beside Sakura and Kakashi.

"There's a village not too far from here where we should be able to lay low for a bit," Kakashi said.

"Won't that be the first place the enemy thinks to look for us?" the weapons master asked.

Kakashi shook his head. "No. It's not the closest village to the camp, and its mayor is extremely loyal to the Sasakis. The rebels might assume that's where we've gone, but there's no way they'd risk following us there."

Tenten nodded, apparently satisfied with Kakashi's answer. "Do you two have any gear with you?"

"Shit," Sakura swore, almost tripping Kakashi when she remembered their discarded packs and armor. "We do, but we left it before we infiltrated their camp. Here, you guys take Kakashi and head toward that village. I'll go back and get our stuff."

Kakashi's grip on her tightened. "Just leave it. It's too dangerous for you to go back there by yourself."

"It'll be fine, Kakashi. It's not like I'm going back there to fight. I probably won't even see another person."

"At least take Tenten with you."

"No," Sakura said, shaking her head. "She needs to stay with you and Shino. That way, if you're attacked, Shino won't have to fight and look after you at the same time."

"I don't like this," Kakashi warned, fixing her with a stare.

"I'll be okay. I'm stronger than anyone I could run into, and I'll be able to fight using my full strength, knowing I don't have to worry about you."

Kakashi looked upset, and Sakura knew she probably shouldn't have reminded him of the fact that he needed to be rescued. She had always hated the helpless feeling she'd get when one of her teammates put his life on the line to protect her, and she imaged Kakashi was feeling something similar.

The arm around his waist tightened, giving him a small hug. "Don't feel bad, Kakashi. Everyone needs help every now and then, right? That's what friends are for! Didn't you tell me that?"

The silver-haired man looked down, his dark eye meeting shining emerald ones. Her eyes looked so comforting and soft, yet there was a fierceness about them that he couldn't quite place. That girl had a fire in her eyes, and he could only assume she burned to protect her team as much as her team burned to protect her.

He smiled, reaching up to ruffle her hair. "I did say that, didn't I?"

Sakura returned his smile. "See? Now you understand how I used to feel all the time."

"Yes. Those were the days. Ah, back I was the one who had to keep you three idiot genin safe. How times have changed."

"Don't worry, I'm pretty sure the rescuer/rescuee tally is still tipped heavily in your favor, sensei," she teased lightly.

"I suppose it is." He sighed. "All right, go. But please, just be safe, Sakura."

"I will," she promised, before calling for the other two members of their party.

Tenten and Shino fell back, having moved a bit ahead to give Sakura and Kakashi a chance to talk. Both ANBU had realized that the two teammates were having a private conversation, and neither had wanted to eavesdrop.

"Be careful, and Sakura?" Kakashi whispered, bending down to place his masked lips against her forehead. "Thank you for protecting me."

He kissed her lightly, lips feeling like a ghost against her forehead. He pulled away, slinging his arm around Shino, leaving Sakura alone on the branch, unable to do anything besides nod mutely as the three took off in the other direction.

**~A/N: So I'm not really sure how this whole 'transportation scroll' thing works, but it's super useful as a plot device haha. I needed to find a way to get help to Kakashi and Sakura, but there obviously weren't going to be any shinobi around, so there we have Shikamaru's scrolls. I suppose it's sort of like a deus ex machina...or more like deus ex Shikamaru, I guess... **


	21. Shelter from the Storm

**A/N: Wow! I don't know what it was about that last chapter, but I had a ton of email notifications when I woke up the next morning! Looks like you guys really enjoyed it, huh? Was it the forehead kiss? I think it was the forehead kiss... Haha, anyway, for some reason I got quite a few new follows/favorites, so thank you and welcome aboard! :D **

**A bit of news- I leave on Wednesday to start my two day drive back out to college, and then I move into the dorm that Friday, so for the next couple weeks, my posting may be sort of erratic. I've got a few chapters already written, so hopefully they can act as backups until I'm able to settle in at school and get some sort of schedule going. Speaking of schedules...**

**I am also going to be starting a posting schedule for this story, I think. Classes are going to be starting for me the week after, and I'm going to busier, so it would make life easier for me if I just set aside two days of the week to publish new chapters of this story. I'm a very schedule-oriented person, so it will help me stay on top of this story, as well as my actual classwork ;)**

**Anyway, I'm thinking of updating on Fridays and either Mondays or Tuesdays, so hopefully that's cool with everyone! It may be another week or two still before I start the schedule, but I'll be sure to let you guys know when I do. I still have a few more "transition chapters" before I really get into the next 'arc' of this story, so chances are I'll start then. **

**Twenty-One: Shelter from the Storm**

Kakashi, Tenten, and Shino reached the village a few hours after they'd parted with Sakura. Kakashi wanted to ask one of the others to go back up Sakura, but he knew they probably wouldn't be able to find her.

"We should see if there's an inn we can stay at," Tenten said, looking overhead. "It looks like it might rain soon."

Kakashi nodded, and the three shinobi headed down the main road of the village, looking for somewhere to stay. They were probably in the business district, they realized, because they saw plenty of restaurants and bars, but nothing that looked residential.

"Maybe we should ask…" Tenten said, trailing off when she saw the looks the few sober patrons were giving them. She realized that the three of them looked pretty conspicuous in their tattered ANBU gear.

"I think we should try to lay low," Shino observed.

"Yeah. I think so," the weapons master replied. "Which way do you suppose we go?"

The three shinobi had come to a fork in the road.

"Of course there aren't any signs," Shino muttered.

"Go left," Kakashi said. "There are less lights on in that direction, so it's more likely to be residential."

Tenten and Shino nodded, accepting his logic and continuing down the path. Sure enough, the silver-haired jonin had been correct in his assumption, and the three shinobi were able to find an inn with a room large enough for all four of them. The fact that it was at a price that wouldn't clean out their wallets was an added bonus.

Tenten paid the innkeeper and took the key, ushering the other two inside just as a flash of lightning lit up the sky. A loud boom followed, and suddenly rain was pouring down.

"Looks like we made it just in time again," Shino observed, safely underneath a dry roof.

"Sakura won't be so lucky though," Tenten amused, and Kakashi felt a pang of concern for his pink-haired partner. He knew rain itself was nothing to be worried about, but what if there was an ambush waiting for her when she went to retrieve their gear? He'd never forgive himself if something happened to her. He shouldn't have let her go alone.

"She'll be fine," Tenten said quickly, and Kakashi realized he'd been frowning. The brown-haired girl had probably been worried she'd said something wrong.

"I know," Kakashi said, crinkling his eye in a smile. "Sakura is strong. This is nothing she can't handle."

* * *

Kakashi stayed out on the balcony while Tenten and Shino went to get some food. They were all hungry after the fight, but they were too tired to go out, and Kakashi had insisted on staying at the inn until Sakura got back.

He thought of summoning Pakkun—angry at himself for not thinking of doing so before she'd left—but he knew that the small pug would have a hard time tracking Sakura with the rain. He may have been a ninken, but he was still bound by the laws of nature, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pick up a scent once it had been washed away.

His eyelids fluttered, and Kakashi realized he was beginning to doze off. Even the slick rain sticking to his skin and hair wasn't enough to keep him awake. Just as he was about to shut his eyes—just a rest, he told himself—a flash of color appeared against the gray backdrop.

He opened his eyes, squinting with the Sharingan to make out the figure that stood on the street below. She had pink hair, and was carrying two packs.

"Sakura!" Kakashi called, leaning over the balcony.

The waterlogged girl looked up, using a hand to shield her eyes against the barrage of raindrops. She squinted, and Kakashi realized she probably couldn't see him. Recognition dawned on her face as he gave a one-armed salute, and she found herself taking a running start and jumping from balcony to balcony until she reached Kakashi. He held out his arm, and Sakura grabbed it, allowing him to help her over the edge.

"Whew," she said, dropping the packs inside, out of the rain. "I really hate rain."

Her pink bangs were plastered to her face, dripping water in her eyes, and her clothing was drenched. Luckily their packs were waterproof, so they would both have a change of dry clothes.

Sakura shoved her bangs back, blinking water from her long eyelashes and continuing to run her hands through her hair, ringing it out as best she could before going inside. She didn't want to get their room all wet.

"What were you sitting out here in the rain for, anyway?" she asked, noticing that Kakashi still hadn't moved to go inside.

"I knew you'd come by eventually, and we didn't have a way of contacting you to let you know we had this room. Besides, unlike some people, I don't mind the rain."

Sakura gave him a look that clearly said 'you're crazy.' "Well, then I guess you won't mind if I take a shower and get changed first. You can stay and…enjoy the rain, or whatever."

Kakashi chuckled. "I don't understand why people don't like rain. I find it very soothing."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, say that when _you're _the one who has to run through it carrying gear for two people."

"I couldn't possibly be asked to carry gear. I've just been through a trauma."

"Yeah, and you're going to go through another real quick if I don't get my shower," Sakura grumbled, taking off her shoes and sliding open the door.

"Don't take all the hot water," Kakashi teased.

"No promises," Sakura grinned, sprinting towards the bathroom.

She peeled off her wet clothes, shivering as she jumped into the steaming shower. The warm water felt good on her goosebump-covered skin, and sighed, finally allowing herself a few minutes of relaxation for the first time since she'd woken up.

Sakura shifted slightly so that the water from the showerhead fell on her bare shoulders like a gentle massage. Had it really only been one day? It seemed like so much longer.

For the first time, it hit her how close she and Kakashi had come to dying. She'd been close to death before—more times than she could count in the war—but never had she felt so powerless as when she'd thought he was going to be killed before she could reach him.

To her surprise, she found tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes. She hastily ran her face under the water, making them vanish. Sakura couldn't believe she was _crying. _She thought she'd done a remarkably good job of holding herself together despite the difficult circumstances, and she'd never once lost her cool—thanks, in part, to her ANBU training—but now that they were finally safe, she was losing it.

"I guess I'm just so relieved," she sighed, sinking down and pulling her knees to her chest as she let the water rain down on her head.

Tears of relief may have again fallen from her eyes, but they were indistinguishable from the shower's spray.

* * *

After Sakura decided she was warm and clean enough, she reluctantly turned off the hot water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself. She dried her body and the tips of her hair before realizing that she'd left her pack outside.

Groaning, she cracked open the door, praying that Tenten and Shino weren't back yet. She wasn't modest, she just preferred to walk around wearing more than just a towel, even with her friends. With Team Seven, it wasn't a big deal, but there were enough rumors about her going around the village without adding something else for the civilians to gossip about.

"Looking for this?"

Sakura jumped back with a yelp as Kakashi's masked, smiling face suddenly appeared before hers. His eye was closed in its signature crinkle, and he was holding up her pack.

"I thought you might be missing it."

"Yeah, I was. Thanks," Sakura squeaked, taking the pack and thanking whatever higher beings existed that she'd held onto her towel when she'd jumped.

She quickly shut the door and dressed, wrapping her short hair up in the towel to help it dry. Her hair grew fast, so it was almost to her shoulders, and Sakura wondered if it was time to cut it again.

She must have been standing there longer than she'd thought, because a knock on the door startled her from her thoughts.

"Food's here, if you're hungry," Kakashi called.

"Okay, I'll be right out. I'm starving!"

As if on cue, her stomach accented her statement with a loud growl that even Kakashi could hear from outside. He laughed, making his way back to the table where Tenten and Shino had left his and Sakura's dinner.

The two shinobi had gone back to the outskirts of town to send a message to their ANBU squad captain, letting him know that they would be staying the night as backup while Kakashi and Sakura recuperated, and that they would teleport back and rejoin the squad in the morning.

The door opened and Sakura appeared, wearing a simple red shirt and black skirt. Her towel sat lopsided on top of her head, and she looked tired, but otherwise unharmed apart from a gash along her arm where she'd taken a kunai for him.

She sat down next to him, reaching up to unwrap the towel, and Kakashi frowned as he got a better look at her injury. Although it wasn't serious, the cut was deeper than he'd thought, and it looked like it had probably hurt.

Gently, he grabbed her arm, turning it so he could get a better look. Sakura looked up at him with a frown, following his gaze to the wound.

"It's not a big deal," she said, knowing the look in his eye. It was the one he got every time he blamed himself for something that wasn't his fault.

"Why didn't you heal it?"

"Didn't have the time." She shrugged. "Besides, I didn't want to waste the chakra on a little flesh wound like this when one of you could've been hurt worse."

Kakashi sighed. "I guess you're right. I'm sorry you got hurt because of me, though."

To her dismay, Sakura found the tears welling up in her eyes again. She quickly looked away, not wanting Kakashi to see her acting like such a wimp.

"I'm just glad you're okay," she choked, blinking the tears away as fast as she could. When she turned back to him, her emerald eyes were glistening.

Kakashi patted her on the head, giving her a reassuring smile. Sakura was one of the toughest ninja he knew, but she had always been soft when it came to her teammates. She had a big heart, and it served as both her biggest strength and her biggest weakness.

Surprisingly, she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. Kakashi remained frozen for a second, then one of his arms wrapped around her in a gentle squeeze, while the other reached up to smooth her damp hair.

"Don't do that again," she said, her voice muffled against the fabric of his shirt. "I was really scared."

"I'm sorry," he soothed, continuing to run his hand through her hair, carefully working out any tangles he came across. "I'm sorry."

They stayed like that a few seconds longer, neither of them wanting to let go just yet, but the pink-haired kunoichi's stomach had a different idea. Sakura let out an embarrassed laugh, blushing slightly as she let go of her team leader. Kakashi smiled at her, finding the whole situation amusing.

"Come on," he said. "Let's eat."

* * *

Tenten and Shino returned not long after they'd finished eating, and after Sakura took care of their cuts and bruises, the four ANBU decided to turn in for the night. The men had offered to let Tenten and Sakura take the bed, but they'd refused, instead resorting to rock, paper, scissors to determine who got the bed and who got the floor.

Tenten and Sakura won anyway, but at least they felt less guilty about it.


	22. Respite

**Twenty-Two: Respite**

They slept later than normal the next morning, but all four shinobi woke up feeling refreshed, and Sakura supposed that was what was important. Unfortunately, because they'd wasted half the morning, they didn't have time for breakfast before Shino and Tenten had to depart.

"Our captain's going to be so mad at us when we get back," Tenten mused, stuffing a roll from the previous night into her mouth and attempting to ignore her grumbling stomach.

"I'm sorry we got you in trouble," Sakura said.

"Oh, it's all right. He'll just be mad that we got to sleep in a comfortable room while he was camping outside."

Kakashi waved it off. "I'll talk to your captain when we get back and take care of everything. Don't worry about it."

"Oh, thanks, Kakashi-sensei!" Tenten said, her mood clearly lightening at the thought of not getting yelled at.

"No, thank you guys. We would have been in trouble without your help."

"Yeah, seriously, I owe you guys a big one," Sakura said, hugging both of them in turn. "Shikamaru too."

"I can't wait to see the look on his face when we tell him about this," Tenten gushed. "I bet he'll be so surprised."

"He probably doesn't even remember giving us these charms," Shino added.

"Well, he will now, because these mini scrolls are about to make him look like even more of a genius," Sakura said, waving to the two as they made their way to the outskirts of town.

"Take care of yourselves!" Tenten called. "And don't get into any more trouble if you can help it!"

Kakashi and Sakura watched until the ANBU pair disappeared behind the trees, then turned back to their room. They had decided to stay in town for a week or two to allow Kakashi's chakra levels to recover and to come up with a plan.

If the previous day's ordeal was any indication, it was going to be nearly impossible to sneak into the enemy's camp undetected, and an infiltration was going to be tricky. Sakura had told Kakashi what the two soldiers had said during dinner the night before. The news didn't make him happy, but Kakashi wasn't surprised that it would have become more difficult to join the rebels now.

"So what should we do?" Sakura asked.

"Rest," Kakashi said. "Check out the town. Go back to the room. Sleep. Eat. Read. Whatever."

"But—"

"There will be plenty of time to worry about the mission later," he told her. "But now, we're going to rest and recover—physically _and _mentally. I think we've earned that."

Sakura's frown slowly morphed into a grin. "Yeah, we have, haven't we? I wouldn't mind sleeping for a few days straight."

"Then it's settled. Back to the room."

* * *

Sakura hadn't been joking when she said she was going to sleep for days. Kakashi laughed as he shut the door quietly behind him the next morning. He'd slept well himself, but he'd taken the couch again, and no matter how tired he was, he couldn't sleep all day on that lumpy thing.

Kakashi decided to go check out the town. If they were going to be staying awhile, he figured he might as well learn what he could about the place. He didn't bother to hide the fact that he was a shinobi. This village was very loyal to the Sasaki family, and since Kakashi and Sakura were there on a mission for Lord Sasaki, he was sure the villagers wouldn't give him any trouble.

They still regarded him with wary expressions, however, and Kakashi realized that he probably should have brought some civilian clothes with him. He never wore anything outside of his jonin attire in the village, but he had normal clothes tucked away in his apartment somewhere for missions like this.

After grabbing something to eat, he wandered around for a few more hours, making a mental map of the village and trying to remember where the good restaurants and shops were. They would need to pick up a few things if they were going to stick around.

The sun started to set, and Kakashi realized he should probably go and check on Sakura. He was starting to get hungry again—another side effect of overusing his Sharingan—and he decided to see if his pink-haired partner wanted to go with him to get some food.

Kakashi let himself back into the room quietly. Sakura was still asleep. He sighed, wondering how she could possibly sleep for so long. He'd slept sixteen hours—an amount that wasn't uncommon for him when recovering from using the Mangekyo—but she had been asleep for almost a day now.

A worrisome thought crossed his mind, and the silver-haired shinobi found himself creeping silently toward the bed. What if she wasn't okay? What if she'd been hurt worse that she was letting on, or what if the kunai she'd been stabbed with had been laced with poison?

Careful not to make a sound, Kakashi came to a standstill a few inches away from the bed, leaning down to make sure she was breathing. He closed his eye in relief. She was.

"Kakashi?"

Two emerald orbs were staring up at him.

"What are you doing?"

"I thought you said you were going to sleep for days, Sakura. It's only been one," he teased.

"I _was _going to sleep longer, but how am I supposed to with you breathing on me!"

"I could hardly have been breathing on you. I'm wearing a mask. So now that you're up, how about we go get something to eat?"

Sakura sat up, running a hand through the unruly strands of pink hair. "Sure, some breakfast sounds nice."

Kakashi shook his head, laughing lightly. "Oh, Sakura. It's way past breakfast."

* * *

"We really should buy some new clothes while we're here," Kakashi mused as they strolled along the village streets, looking for a place to eat.

"Says the man who's never seen in anything outside of standard shinobi wear," Sakura teased.

"I have other clothes."

"I'll believe that when I see it," she laughed. "I know the first thing I'm going to buy. A nice, warm, long sleeved shirt!"

"It's getting warmer now. You shouldn't waste your money on something you're not going to need."

"Oh I am _not _risking another night like that one! I'm never going on a mission so unprepared again!"

"I'm offended. Was snuggling with me really that bad?"

She glared. "I hardly consider that _snuggling._"

"Why, Sakura. I didn't know you'd become such an expert on snuggling while I was away. Something you learned with Tenzo during your _training_?"

The pink-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Just because I don't have any experience doesn't mean I don't know how it's supposed to go. And for the record, I'm pretty sure trying to prevent our mutual deaths due to frostbite doesn't count as a snuggle."

"Of _course_ not," he said, voice light and teasing. "That wasn't a real enough life-or-death situation for the great Sakura Haruno, was it?"

She snorted, pulling him farther down the road. "Come on, let's go eat. I'm starving."

Kakashi spotted a bar that looked promising and motioned for Sakura to follow him inside. He hadn't originally planned on drinking, but he decided they could both use a bit to relax.

The bar they went into was one of the nicer ones Kakashi had seen in all his travels. It was large, with the countertop extending all the way to the back of the building. It was already full, so Kakashi and Sakura headed toward the back, weaving their way through the crowd effortlessly. Even without Kakashi's ninja clothing, it was obvious what the pair of them were. People subconsciously moved out of their way, making a path for the two shinobi. They managed to find a section of empty stools, and took a seat.

"I thought you said you were hungry," Sakura joked as she looked over a drink menu.

"Bars have food," Kakashi said, shrugging.

"Uh-huh. Because you obviously go to bars for the food."

He grinned. "Okay, so maybe I wanted to unwind a little. Since we're still on our short break, of course."

Sakura laughed. "Right. Am I even old enough to drink here? Don't you have to be twenty-one in some places?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I know it's twenty-one in Earth country, but I don't even know if they have a drinking age here."

Sakura looked around, and seeing plenty of kids who looked much younger than herself, felt inclined to agree with him.

"Yeah. I see your point."

"Well, just tell me what you want and I'll get it for you," Kakashi said. "It doesn't look like the bartender comes this far down anyway, so I'll have to go up to the front to order."

"Okay, uh, I'll have one of these. And no judging, they're delicious."

Sakura glared, daring him to say something about her drink choice. She had, of course, picked the fruitiest drink on the menu, but it was one she knew she liked—and knew she could handle the alcohol. An ANBU mission with her former sensei was not the setting she wanted to be in when she experimented with new drinks.

"I'd never utter a word," Kakashi smiled, before slipping back into the crowd.

Sakura turned back to the bar, thinking about how, when she was younger, she never would have believed that she'd be sharing drinks with Kakashi-sensei at a bar. On an ANBU mission, no less. She grinned, thinking about how much she'd grown since then—about how much they'd _all _grown since then.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing out here all alone?"

Sakura rolled her eyes as she turned to find a twenty-something-year-old man with slicked back hair sliding onto the stool next to her. If she had to pick a word to describe him, she would have said greasy. The pink-haired medic couldn't tell if he was a creeper, or just a really bad flirt.

"I'm getting a drink, the same as everyone else at a bar," she said evenly, not wanting to encourage him, but also not particularly caring to pick a fight.

Unfortunately, the guy didn't seem to be able to take a hint.

"Yeah, but I asked why you're here all alone."

"What makes you think I'm here alone," she snapped.

"What, you got a boyfriend?"

"No."

"Good," he said, leaning closer. Sakura could smell the alcohol on his breath, and the medic in her knew quite a bit of detoxification would be in order before this man would be thinking coherently again.

Sakura did her best to ignore him. She had no intention of humoring the man, but she didn't really want to punch a civilian either. There was no doubt that her strength would be far superior to his. Still, the idiot didn't act like he had any intention of leaving her alone.

She was about to open her mouth and say something when she spotted Kakashi headed towards her, carrying their drinks. The man next to her seemed to notice that both Kakashi's hands were full, and any doubts he might have had were crushed when Kakashi slid into the seat next to Sakura, handed her her drink, and fixed the man with a glare that was known to send enemy jonin running.

"Oh," the man muttered, pushing his stool back from the counter. "I didn't know you were here with _grandpa_."

Kakashi's glare deepened, and Sakura put her hand over his, hoping it would calm him down. Part of her was afraid Kakashi would actually get up and attack the guy. Finally, once the man was out of sight, the silver-haired jonin relaxed.

"Good riddance," he mumbled, taking a swig of his drink. Sakura didn't know what he'd ordered, but it looked a lot stronger than hers.

"How do you know you didn't just interrupt my date, hm Kakashi?" she teased, hoping to lighten the mood.

Kakashi's eye lingered on her. "If you really had that bad of taste in men, I'd never be able let you out of my sight on good conscience."

"To be fair, the last person I was in love with tried to kill me. Twice."

"Sasuke may have tried to kill you, but at least he never would have been sleazy about it."

"Oh, no. He would've been real classy when he splattered my guts all over the floor."

Kakashi shrugged. "I'm just saying."

Sakura rolled her eyes at him. "I could've handled Mr. Sleazebag, you know."

The silver-haired man shrugged. "I know, but your version of handling things is usually a bit more violent than mine."

She laughed. "I don't know. For a second there, I thought you were going to lose it when he called you grandpa."

"I'm not old," Kakashi said firmly. "I just happen to have silver hair."

"And it's very pretty hair," Sakura soothed. "Now drink up. You'll feel better."

* * *

Sakura and Kakashi stayed at the bar for a few hours, considering they had nothing else to do besides eat, drink, and eavesdrop on the other patrons.

"Bars are a great source of information for any outsider," Kakashi had told her. "People are in a more inebriated state, so they either aren't as suspicious of your questions, or they're just too drunk to notice."

Sakura took his advice, sipping her third drink and scanning the room, looking for any conversations that seemed interesting. She was curious about the Land of Silver. The country was small, and very private, and as far as she could tell, had no clear ruler.

Tanosuke Sasaki was the lord of the nation's biggest city, so many villages—like the one she and Kakashi were in—were as loyal to him as they would be to a daimyo, but there were still other cities within the country with their own sovereigns. Sakura thought that made for a shaky political landscape, and she was surprised the nation had existed peacefully for so many years.

She turned back to her observing, but it turned out she didn't have to look very far to get her information.

"Hey, did you hear about Shiro?" a drunk spiky-haired man asked, stumbling onto the stool a few spots down from Sakura.

"No," his buddy said, slurring his words just as bad. "What'd that idiot do this time?"

"He's run off to join the rebellion!" the spiky-haired man said, slamming his hand down on the table.

The other man laughed. "That idiot! He won't last one week! Where'd he run off to?"

"I heard he went to Gintown. Apparently that's where the new recruits are supposed to go now."

"Well he's gonna be out of luck then," the second man drawled, taking another swig of his drink. "There's already been a recruiting drive in Gintown. My cousin went and signed up a few weeks ago. The rebels won't risk coming back there for a while. He'll have to wait it out until summer."

Sakura glanced over at Kakashi, making sure he was catching this. His dark eye slid over to meet hers and she nodded imperceptively. She was thinking the same thing he was. Gintown would be their next stop.

**~A/N: So I'm actually kind of surprised that no spontaneous random not-plot-related battles didn't break out in this chapter, because I listened to the SNK opening (the first one, not the new one on the current episodes. I don't really like the new one) on repeat like the entire time I was writing this. Now I feel like I need to write some badass fighting scenes or something...**

**But, you may have noticed, I'M BACK! I got moved in to my dorm room yesterday, but I still have a lot of things to do this weekend. Like build this floor lamp I got because I really regretted not having one last year. And I got these paper lantern lights to string up along my wall. They look like sakura blossoms hehe so it made me think of all you guys who are reading this story :P Anyway, even though I'm here, the next week is probably going to still be crazy between getting all my school stuff together, seeing my friends, and trying to figure out books (ugh) but I'm hoping to be able to update at least once during the week, but it may not be twice. Sorry! Things will straighten up soon I think!**

**As always, thanks for reading, and for the new follows/favs!**


	23. Undercover

**A/N: hey guys! I'm back. School is getting started, so I think I'm going to start my posting schedule next week. So chapter 24 should be posted on Monday! **

**Twenty-Three: Undercover**

It ended up taking Sakura and Kakashi an extra day to reach Gintown, because Kakashi had gotten them lost after day one.

"I could have sworn that guy in the shop said to take a right," Kakashi said, scratching his head when the ANBU pair had found themselves moving deeper and deeper into the forest when they should have been going in the opposite direction.

Sakura had rolled her eyes, but she didn't say anything. One day wouldn't make much of a difference, and it probably wasn't entirely Kakashi's fault anyway. The old shopkeeper had given them directions, but he had been difficult to understand, and Sakura had been busy picking out civilian clothing for the two of them and hadn't heard the directions either. She would've let Kakashi pick out his own clothes, but when he'd shown her his selection—all varying lengths of plain black shirts and pants—Sakura had decided to take over the job of selecting their outfits herself. Kakashi hadn't protested too much.

"Oh well, let's just make camp here for the night and head out in the morning," she said, resigning herself to another night of sleeping on the hard ground. At least by the next day she should be able to enjoy a nice, comfortable bed—hopefully for a long time.

"While we're stopped here, we might as well go over the plan," Kakashi said, rolling out his sleeping bag and settling in for the night.

"We've been over it a thousand times already," Sakura complained.

"We have to make sure we've got our story straight," he told her. "There will be more scrutiny this time around, and one little slip up could cost us our lives."

"Our lives? More like _my _life. I'm the one who's going to be going behind enemy lines," Sakura snorted.

"Which is exactly why you have to make sure you've got your story down," he urged.

The tone of his voice was enough to stop Sakura's protests. Kakashi was her team leader, and besides, he was right. It wouldn't hurt to make sure she knew the plan like the back of her hand.

They had discussed it the night before they left—the same night they'd overheard the men talking at the bar. It looked like the rebellion was holding recruiting drives in some of the border cities every now and then, and there was going to be one in Gintown that summer. That would give Kakashi and Sakura a little more than a month to infiltrate the town, convince the villagers of their back story, and then, hopefully, create a convincing case for Sakura to join the rebellion.

They would be posing as a brother and sister fleeing from one of the poorer farming villages closer to the border with the Land of Wind. Kakashi would pretend to be a doctor, which would explain why Sakura was such a good medic.

That was how they were hoping to get her into the rebels' ranks—as a medic. Sakura had come up with the idea one night, saying that she should completely hide the fact that she was able to fight. It would make her appear less suspicious.

Sakura fingered her now auburn-colored hair, which was tied in a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck.

"My name is Kaiya Nagasawa. I'm nineteen years old, and I came to Gintown with my older brother, Kenzan, to escape poverty in our village. Kenzan is a doctor, and so was father. Both of them taught me everything I know, which is why, someday, I hope to be a doctor just like them!" Sakura turned to Kakashi. "How did that sound?"

"Good," Kakashi nodded. "You didn't hesitate. You could try to sound a little less confident, though. You sound too much like a fighter."

"Oh," the medic said meekly, making her voice small. "Like this?"

"Yeah. Like that."

"And what about you?" Sakura asked, looking over at the formerly silver-haired Copy Ninja. His hair now matched her own.

"You basically covered it. Kenzan Nagasawa. Twenty-nine." Sakura snorted when he said his age. Kakashi glared, but he kept going. "I'm a doctor, blah, blah. I'm the boring one. _You're _the one they're going to be interested in."

"Whatever," she said, lying back in her sleeping bag. "Let's just get some sleep so we can get an early start tomorrow. I'm looking forward to sleeping in a bed again."

"I pamper you too much," Kakashi teased. "I should never have let you have a full week of sleeping in a nice, comfortable hotel."

Sakura snorted. "If I remember correctly, _you're _the one who was so adamant about taking that recovery week."

"Hm, I guess I was. Well, what can I say? I guess my _age _is catching up to me."

The pink-haired kunoichi chuckled, rolling over on her side so she was facing him. "Goodnight, Kakashi."

"Goodnight, Sakura."

* * *

"I think we're here," Kakashi said as a large gate loomed into view.

"Really?" Sakura said sarcastically. "I never would have guessed."

The two undercover shinobi walked up to the gate, only to be stopped by a gatekeeper.

"What is your purpose here in Gintown?" the man asked.

Sakura looked at Kakashi, who spoke.

"We are refugees looking for a place to stay for a while, and eventually, find work," he said, repeating the cover story they had rehearsed.

The gatekeeper looked them over carefully, then, deciding that their story was believable, agreed to let them through.

"What was that all about?" Sakura asked, frowning back at the gatekeeper.

Kakashi shrugged. "They're probably on edge here. If the rebellion is recruiting heavily in this area, they could be worried that the Sasakis would send troops here to prevent anyone else from joining the army. As long as we lay low, we shouldn't have any trouble. Now come on, let's go look for a place to rent."

"Do we have enough money?"

"We should. But if we run out, I can always send Pakkun back to Konoha for more."

"Alright. Let's go."

* * *

It took them a few hours of searching, but the pair of shinobi were finally able to find a small apartment to rent out for a few months that had two bedrooms and wasn't ridiculously expensive. Kakashi had haggled the price down quite a bit, but he had assured Sakura they weren't cheating the man out of his money. Men like him set the price ridiculously high because they _liked _bartering with customers, he explained. Sakura wasn't sure that she believed him, but she kept her thoughts to herself.

The apartment was nicer than Sakura had expected. It was on the third floor of a six-floor building, and it had a nice view of the town's main street below them. The living room was bigger than her own in Konoha, but the kitchen was smaller. From the living room and kitchen, there was a small hallway that led to their bedrooms. Thankfully, they each had their own bathroom.

"What do you think?" Kakashi asked, coming up to stand behind her in the doorway to her room.

Sakura almost jumped, startled by the fact that she hadn't noticed his presence.

"It's nice," she said honestly. "Actually, it's a lot nicer than I expected."

"Yeah, me too."

"Makes you kind of feel bad for arguing with that guy about the price, doesn't it?"

Kakashi grinned. "Nah. He enjoyed the arguing."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Men. Whatever, let's get unpacked and then I'll go to the store for some groceries so we can eat."

"Okay. I can go with you if you want. You don't have to do all the work yourself."

She smiled. "Okay, sure. I'd like that."

As she closed the door behind her and set about putting away her things, Sakura mentally chided herself.

"'_I'd like that?'_ Who says 'I'd like that?' Get a grip, Haruno," she muttered, putting her clothes away in one of the drawer shelves.

"Just because you're living with a guy for the first time in your pathetic, loveless life doesn't mean you need to get all weird. It's for a mission, and it's _Kakashi-sensei_, for Kami's sake. Don't freak out on me."

She groaned, realizing she was talking to herself. This was no different from the times Team Seven had stayed together in hotels. No different. Except for the fact that those stays had only been a week or two at most, and it had always been the five or six of them, never just two.

She wondered if living with Kakashi meant she'd get to see his face.

A knock on her door startled her from her thoughts. "Sakura! Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'll be right out!"

* * *

They bought their groceries at a market not far from their apartment complex, and headed back to make and eat dinner. Neither shinobi had eaten a good meal in a few days, so even the instant ramen they'd settled on tasted good.

"Naruto would be so proud," Sakura said as they put away their utensils and went to sit in the living room. She supposed she would have to get a hobby if they were going to be spending an extended amount of time in that apartment. It was only a matter of time before the infamous _Icha Icha _book made an appearance.

"I wonder if there are any ramen shops in the Land of Silver," she mused.

"If there are, then I guarantee Naruto has found them all," Kakashi said.

"Yeah, you're probably right." She thought of her teammates being forced to eat ramen for every meal. Sai, she knew, didn't particularly care, but Sasuke was a different story. "Poor Sasuke."

"Do you miss him?"

"Huh?" That question had come out of nowhere. "Who? Sasuke?"

Kakashi nodded.

She frowned. "I mean, sure. I miss all my teammates and friends when I'm away."

"But you don't miss Sasuke more than the others?"

Sakura couldn't tell if Kakashi was trying—and failing—to be sly, or if he honestly just didn't care to bother with it.

"No…"

"Oh," Kakashi said. "I just knew you two were close again, and you're always partnered up together on missions, and I just thought there might be something going on."

"No," she said again, narrowing her eyes at the Copy Ninja, who was starting to look a little guilty. "Although, come to think of it, it does seem like you're always teaming up with Naruto and Sai and leaving me with Sasuke."

Kakashi's eye widened slightly, like he knew he'd been caught.

"Oh my god," Sakura groaned. "All those times…even when I was sick with that stomach bug, and you made Sasuke stay back and take care of me while you and Naruto went on the mission. I always wondered why it was him that stayed behind."

"Did you _want _Naruto to be the one to take care of you when you were sick?"

"Okay, fair enough. But still, how could I have not seen it! You were trying to set me and Sasuke up!"

"To be fair, Naruto was in on it too," Kakashi said.

"I'm pretty sure you two are the last people I want setting me up with anybody. I mean, no offense, but Naruto's like, completely oblivious when it comes to just about anything, and…have you even _had _a girlfriend, Kakashi? Or, um, a boyfriend?" she quickly added, just to be safe.

She was fairly positive Kakashi was straight, but it was _Kakashi, _and she knew for a fact there were plenty of women _and_ men in the village who wouldn't mind spending a night or two with the great Copy Ninja. She thought of Gai-sensei's crazy antics and felt a smile dance across her lips.

Kakashi fixed her with a funny expression, and she couldn't resist.

"It's fine if you did, by the way. Have a boyfriend. I mean, Gai-sensei might be hurt if you had a boyfriend that wasn't him, but I'm sure Lee and Tenten would take good care of his broken heart. Hm, I guess I should have asked Yamato while we were training. I bet he knows all your secrets…Oh!"

Sakura gasped, amazed she hadn't seen it before. "Wow, I can't believe I never picked up on it. I bet you and Captain Yamato dated back when you were in ANBU, didn't you? You guys fight all the time like an old married couple. I bet that's why you still call him Tenzo too, even though he tells you not to. Because it was your pet name for him!"

"_Sakura_," Kakashi groaned. "Cut it out. I didn't date Tenzo, or Gai, or anyone else you know. Stop making it seem like I spent my youth gallivanting around Konoha, having illicit romances with everyone I ran across. In fact, stop talking about my love life. It's weirding me out."

"Well it's not my fault you spent a good portion of your days as our sensei making sure we knew as little as possible about you. If you think my theories are crazy, you should hear Naruto's!"

"I don't think I want to," he said with a wince.

"So then, you're not some love god who's slept with half the village? Because that was one theory," Sakura teased.

Kakashi looked over at her, a glint in his eye. "Well, I wouldn't say _half _the village. Why the sudden interest?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I'm just trying to find more out about my former sensei who I happen to be living with for the next couple months."

"Ah, so purely innocent reasons then. Well, I suppose I can tell you."

"Oh, lucky me," she grumbled, but her eyes were smiling.

"So to answer your question, no. I've had a few flings—_not _with Tenzo or Gai, before you ask. I'm not gay—but I've never been in a serious relationship."

"Well, that makes two of us," Sakura sighed, leaning farther back on the couch.

"I thought you said you've never been on a date!" Kakashi said, sitting up straight and looking at her with a serious expression. "You're not saying you've…uh, you know…"

He trailed off, clearly realizing he had blurted out his thoughts without thinking them through. Luckily, Sakura took pity on him and laughed it off.

"No, I've never even been kissed, so there's been none of _that_." She grinned at him. "You don't have to worry about tracking anyone down and breaking any bones, _sensei_."

"Good. I wouldn't want anything bad happening to my little cherry blossom," he laughed.

Sakura smiled. He only called her cherry blossom when he was feeling particularly affectionate. Or when she was really getting on his nerves, he did it to annoy her back, but she didn't think her teasing had bothered him that much.

"So can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Technically, you just did."

"You know, jokes like that were cute when you were _twelve_."

She shook her head. "Go ahead."

"Why don't you and Sasuke date? You're both close now, and I know he cares about you, and he respects you."

Sakura sighed. It was a question they got a lot, and rightfully so, considering how she'd chased and thrown herself at him so much when they were younger.

"We're just friends. I love him, and he'll always be one of the people I care about the most, but we could never be anything more than that. Not after all our history." She faltered. "It's hard to explain. It's just, after everything we went through, I realized all I ever wanted was for him to just acknowledge me as an equal—as his _friend. _It was never really love all along."

She shook her head. "Why are you always so desperate to set me up with Sasuke, anyway?"

Kakashi shrugged, but his expression changed to one Sakura hadn't seen in a long time—not since the war.

"Sasuke's a lot like me," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I just don't want him to be lonely when he grows up."

Sakura frowned. She wanted to ask Kakashi if _he _was lonely, but she couldn't form the right words. She and Kakashi were close, but there were some things she still didn't know how to talk about with him, and his emotions were definitely one of them.

As it turned out, she didn't have to, because just as she was trying to find her words, there was a knock on their door. Kakashi frowned, reaching over and fingering the kunai he had hidden under the cushion. Sakura shook her head as he made a move to stand up.

"I'll get it."

Kakashi nodded, but he kept a firm grip on the knife in case they ran into trouble. Sakura opened the door hesitantly. Kakashi's caution was rubbing off on her. They'd just moved in, and they hadn't had time to make any friends yet, so why would someone be knocking on their door?

"Hello!" a blonde girl a few years younger than Sakura said, waving excitedly. With her blue eyes and huge grin, she reminded Sakura a bit of Naruto.

"Hi there," Sakura said, switching into the character of Kaiya Nagasawa and opening the door wider so Kakashi could see it wasn't a threat.

"I heard some new people just moved in, so I came over to say hi!" the girl said happily. "My brother's friend Isamu and his dad own this place, and he told me that there was a girl around my age here, so I thought I'd come and welcome you guys. My name's Takara, and I live on the fifth floor with my brother, Mitsuo."

"Nice to meet you," Sakura said, offering her hand for the Takara to shake. "I'm Kaiya Nagasawa. I just moved here as a refugee."

Takara nodded her head in sympathy. Apparently it was a common enough story. Kakashi had chosen their excuse well.

"Ooh, Kaiya, is that your boyfriend?"

Sakura turned back, realizing that Kakashi had moved in behind her.

"Who? Him?" Sakura laughed, shaking her head. "No, that's my older brother, Kenzan."

"Does he always wear a mask? Oh! Sorry! That was probably really rude of me! My brother always says I talk to much for my own good." She laughed nervously, clearly worried they would take offense.

"It's alright," Kakashi said, smiling down at her. "I don't mind. And yes, I do usually wear the mask. An old habit I picked up from working with sick people all the time."

"Oh, that makes sense," Takara said, her eyes widening in wonder. Sakura had to suppress a grin. The girl really was similar to Naruto.

"Hey Kaiya! Want me to introduce you to my brother and his friends? They're all probably just a bit older than you!"

Sakura and Kakashi exchanged a quick glance. This was perfect for their plan. The more people who could vouch for their cover story, the better.

"Sure! I'd love to make some friends, since I'm new here and all," Sakura said.

"Great! Come on, they'll all be over at my place hanging out! Oh wait, do you need to check with your brother first?"

Sakura resisted the urge to laugh and turned to Kakashi, who nodded his permission.

"Just don't stay out past curfew, Kaiya," he said.

Sakura shot him a discreet glare when she was sure Takara wasn't looking. He just couldn't resist…

"Don't worry, I won't be out too late, _brother_."

Kakashi grinned as she shut the door in his face.

"Older brothers," Takara said sympathetically. "They're always so protective, aren't they?"

"Yeah, tell me about it," Sakura said, thinking of not only Kakashi, but all her teammates.

"My brother and his friends want to join the rebellion when they come recruiting here again. I want to join too, to stay with them, but Mitsuo says he doesn't want me to be in any danger."

"Ah, I see," Sakura said.

Takara was babbling on about something else, but a new idea had taken root in the kunoichi's mind, so she didn't register any of it. If her new friends were going to join the rebellion, maybe she should let herself be 'inspired' into joining by listening to them. After all, the rebels would have less reason to suspect her if they believed she didn't even have any interest in joining until she met her new friends, and Sakura knew for a fact that joining something because all your friends did was as valid an excuse as any.

"We're here!" Takara said, and Sakura realized she hadn't even noticed that they'd arrived in front of a door. "Ready to meet your new friends?"

"Yeah," Sakura said. "Yeah, I am."

_And ready to get this mission started. _

**~A/N: Okay, so I realize the whole power structure/political landscape of the Land of Silver may be confusing. The best way for me to describe it would be to say it's kind of like ancient Greece. Back then, what we know as the country now was actually made up of a bunch of individual city-states (Sparta, Athens, etc.) each with their own sovereign before they were eventually united as one nation. Anyway, the LoS is sort of like this. There are the larger villages that have the most power (like a Sparta or Athens) and then there are smaller villages that, while they still have their own rulers, don't have nearly as much power as the larger villages, and therefore probably need to be allied with one for their own protection. Collectively, the entire nation is known as the Land of Silver, but unlike Fire or Earth or Wind, etc. it doesn't have a daimyo to rule over all of it. Okay, I hope that helps! **


	24. Summer Haze

**Twenty-Four: Summer Haze**

"Mm, there's nothing better than ramen, right guys?" Naruto asked, not waiting for his teammates' responses before digging into the large bowl sitting in front of him.

"Yeah, nothing like our fifth bowl of ramen this week," Sasuke grumbled, but he picked up his chopsticks dutifully and started shoveling the food into his mouth.

The four shinobi had had an intense sparring session that afternoon. They hadn't seen much action since the incident at the gathering of nobles, after the head of the Sasakis' guards had upped their security. Really, the mission had become nothing more than an extended vacation, but as long as they still didn't know the rebels' plans, the Leaf ninja were going to have to stay on as extra protection.

Sasuke sighed. He knew Kakashi and Sakura were doing the best they could, but it was summer now, and he honestly just wanted to go home. He was tired of dealing with adoring fangirls and snobby nobles.

If the Uchihas had been anything like the nobles he'd encountered so far in the Land of Silver, Sasuke thought he could understand why the second Hokage had pushed them out of the village. They were goddamn _annoying_.

"Can we get something other than ramen tomorrow?" Yamato sighed, leaning his head against his hand and twirling one chopstick around in the broth.

"Yes," the two black-haired ninja quickly agreed.

"Huh? Why?" Naruto asked, through a full mouth. Sasuke shot him a look, and the blonde quickly realized this wasn't an argument he should make. "Well, okay. That's fine with me. Hey, Captain Yamato! Why don't you buy us food like that one time at that hot springs! That was really delicious, and you actually paid for us, which was weird, because Kakashi-sensei like never bought us anything to eat. Probably because he realized how much I ate, and it would make him broke, but that's why he always tricked you into paying for us anyway, right?"

Yamato closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead as if it could prevent the inevitable headache he was getting from listening to Naruto's babbling.

"Naruto! I'm not buying your food. You have funds for that."

"Aw, but Captain Yamato," he whined.

"I said no." Yamato turned, giving the three a good glimpse of his scary face.

Sai appeared unperturbed, as always, but Naruto still gave the same reaction as he always had—which was to yelp and cover his eyes. Sasuke wanted to tease the blonde jinchuriki about still being afraid of the captain's face, but Sasuke was sort of creeped out by it himself.

He and Yamato weren't exactly close like the rest of Team Seven. To be fair, the first time they had met, Sasuke had stabbed him, so he supposed he should just be happy the wood-style user tolerated him at all.

"Okay fine," Naruto grumbled, turning back to his ramen. "I was just asking."

Sasuke shook his head, polishing off the last of his ramen. He hoped something exciting would happen soon. He was starting to get really bored.

* * *

"Are you ready?" Kakashi asked, looking up from his book at Sakura, who was pacing nervously around their kitchen. Takara and the boys would be there any minute to pick her up and head out to the tavern where all the new recruits were supposed to go to join the rebellion.

"I guess," she said, stopping her pacing and perching herself on the countertop.

They had been laying low in Gintown for just over a month, and while both shinobi were itching to get on with their mission, Sakura couldn't help but enjoy the downtime she'd spent in her and Kakashi's little apartment or hanging out with her new friends.

Takara's brother, Mitsuo, had been just as kind to her as his younger sister, welcoming her into their group with open arms. He wasn't as energetic, however, and Sakura appreciated that fact.

His best friend was Isamu, a tall, dark-haired boy a year or two older than Sakura. His dad happened to own the apartment complex, and he gave Kakashi an even lower price once he found out Sakura was friends with his son. She had wanted to protest the discount, but the man insisted.

Then there were the other two members of their little group—Akira and Akio. The black-haired, black-eyed boys were cousins, a year older than Takara and equally as energetic. The three younger kids together were enough to drive the older ones crazy sometimes, but Sakura didn't really mind. In a way, they reminded her of her team back home.

She missed Team Seven fiercely. Naruto's goofy grin, Sasuke's occasionally smirk, even Sai's ridiculous nicknames. And she wanted to see Yamato, to show him how she was doing. She was glad she had Kakashi with her on this mission, or she would have surely gone crazy.

They spent a lot of time together in the living room, watching TV, reading, or just talking. Kakashi tended to stay low and not go out much. He could still be a recognizable figure to someone who knew a lot about the Fourth Shinobi War, and a one-eyed man would be memorable regardless.

"You'll do fine," Kakashi said simply, turning back to his book and flipping through the pages. "I have faith in you."

A knock sounded on the door, and Sakura knew it was time.

"Wish me luck," she whispered, before slipping out the door.

"Ready to go?" Mitsuo asked. His long blonde hair had been slicked back out of his face, and he wore nicer clothes than he usually ran around in.

The rest of the boys looked the same, and Sakura briefly wondered if she should have worn a dress. Isamu, who had an older cousin in the army, had told them to make sure they looked presentable when they went to meet the recruiters, but Sakura hadn't really known what that meant. She'd settled on a skirt and blouse that she thought made her look presentable without being considered too girly. She would have asked Kakashi's opinion, but she knew the Copy Ninja wouldn't have had a clue.

"Are you sure about this, Kaiya?" Takara asked, falling into step beside Sakura. "I mean, you really want to join the army?"

"I'm sure," Sakura nodded. "I want to be able to help my friends, and I'm the best medic in this town."

"And your brother's okay with this? He seemed like he was really protective of you whenever I saw you guys together."

"Well, I think he's uneasy about it, sure."

That part wasn't entirely a lie. They were both a little uneasy about the entire mission, Kakashi especially, but Sakura was pretty sure that was just a part of being ANBU.

"But he trusts me, and he has faith in my skills, so I know he'll get over it."

Takara sighed. "I wish _my_ brother trusted _me _enough to let me join with you guys."

"It's not that he doesn't trust you, Takara. You're just too young."

"I'm only a year younger than Akira and Akio, and two years younger than you!" the blonde girl protested.

"But I'm only a medic, and both Akira and Akio have been martial artists since they were children. We're special cases. Just give it time. You'll see that Matsuo is only looking out for you."

"I guess you're probably right. I just don't want to be left alone here while you guys are off risking your lives. And for what? Some extra spending money?"

Sakura winced. She knew the fact that Matsuo and the others were joining the rebellion out of financial need—and not for ideals—was something that bothered the younger girl. Takara, much like Naruto, was too optimistic for the world she lived in.

"I can't promise you that they'll all live. I'm not that naïve, but I _can _promise you that no harm will come to any of them as long as I'm around, okay Takara?"

Takara nodded, tears shining in her blue eyes.

"Okay," she whispered. "I'll hold you to that, Kaiya. You're the best medic around, so I'll be counting on you."

Sakura smiled. "You don't have to worry."

"Kaiya! You ready to go in?"

Matsuo's voice jolted her back to reality. The boys had moved ahead of them, and had already reached the tavern where the recruitment drive was taking place. They were just waiting for her now, so they could all walk in together.

"Yeah! I'm coming!" she called, before turning back to Takara and giving her one last hug.

The blonde girl would be heading back to her apartment soon. She had wanted to wait and walk back with them, but Isamu said it was likely the meetings would last well into the night, and they weren't in the best part of town, so they didn't want her staying out alone.

If all went well, they would be leaving in the morning with the recruiters to head to the nearest rebel base camp, where they would begin their training. It would likely be the last time Takara saw any of them besides her brother before they left. For all they knew, it could be the last time she saw them _ever. _

"Goodbye, Takara," Sakura said, hugging the girl tight. "And thank you, for everything. You really made me feel like I belong."

"O-of course," Takara sniffled. "I'll see you soon, Kaiya. You'll still come back and visit eventually, right? Even though your brother's moving as soon as you leave?"

Sakura nodded, remembering she had told her friends Kakashi was moving to take a job in a bigger city to explain his sudden absence after her departure.

"Yeah," she lied. "I'll see you soon."

* * *

"Well, I can't really say this is what I was expecting," Akio said, taking in the sight of hundreds of passed out teenagers and young men. There were a few women among them, Sakura noticed, and she breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she wouldn't seem too out of place.

Akira snorted. "What did you think soldiers were going to be doing in a tavern late at night? Drinking apple juice?"

Akio grinned. "Just because you can't hold your liquor doesn't mean you need to act so pissy every time we go to a bar, cuz."

"Alright, that's enough," Matsuo said, pushing the cousins apart.

"That's right," Isamu said. "We don't want to make a bad impression."

The two black-haired boys rolled their eyes, but they let their previous argument go.

"So who do you suppose we're supposed to go talk to?" Sakura asked, looking around for someone sober.

"I don't know," Isamu said honestly. "My cousin didn't tell me that. I'm surprised there are so many people here already though. Maybe we got the time wrong?"

"Are you new recruits?" A loud voice barked, startling the five and making them jump. Or at least making the four boys jump. Sakura's instincts were too good for that.

"Yes, sir," Matsuo said, recovering first and turning towards a tall, burly, redheaded man who looked like he was in charge. He had that air about him. "We wish to join the rebellion, us four as fighters, and her as a medic."

The man squinted at them, looking them over. His gaze lingered on Sakura a bit longer than the others, but she told herself that was completely normal, considering they probably didn't get many women wanting to join.

"Alright. You five can follow me."

"Yes sir!" they said, allowing the large man to lead them into a back room. It was much quieter and nicer-smelling than the one they had previously come from, something all five were grateful for.

"So, you all want to join our army, huh?"

"Yes sir," Matsuo said. The blonde was the unspoken leader of their group.

"You kids know what you're getting into, right? You're giving up a pretty easy life here in town to head out on the road, sleep in tents, and possibly risk your life on a daily basis. And you're okay with that?"

They all nodded.

"Even you?" His question was directed at Sakura, who wanted to laugh. She probably knew more about living on the road and risking her life than he did. But he wasn't supposed to know that.

"Yes sir," She confirmed. "When I first came here, I didn't have any desire to join the rebels, but once I found out all my friends would be fighting…well, I just decided that I wanted to be there to heal them if any of them were to get injured."

"Ah, so you're a healer, not just a medic?"

"Yes sir. My late father and my brother were both doctors, and they taught me the healing arts." She knew better than to call it medical ninjutsu. She wasn't going to give herself away that easily.

"Well, you should quickly rise through the ranks then. We don't have many medics who can use healing arts in these lower-raking battalions. What's your name?"

"Kaiya Nagasawa, sir."

"Well then, welcome to the army, Kaiya Nagasawa."

* * *

Sakura was up bright and early that morning. The kunoichi was rummaging through her things one last time when Kakashi found her a few minutes before she was supposed to meet the rest of the recruits to leave for their new base.

She couldn't bring her ANBU gear with her, and the new recruits had been told to travel light anyway, so she was going to be sending the rest of her things with Kakashi. Sakura just wanted to make sure she would have all the medical tools she needed.

"Okay, everything looks good," Kakashi said, coming over to stand by her. "Try to remember to look a little nervous when you meet the higher ups at camp. You don't want to look too battle hardened."

Sakura snorted. "If I get caught, they'll torture and kill me slowly. So yeah, I'll try to put on a fearful face."

She turned back to her bags, but Kakashi gripped her arm, turning her back toward him.

"I'll be right behind you. If you get into any trouble, I'll come and get you out right away," he said.

Sakura smiled. "I know."

The fact that he would be there backing her up made both of them feel a lot better about the mission.

"I guess this is where you say 'good luck' and I say 'see you later,'" Sakura mumbled, suddenly nervous for the first time since she'd been accepted into the army.

Kakashi looked at her and sighed, before pulling her closer and wrapping her in a comforting hug. Thanks to their height difference, his chin rested comfortably on top of her head, while her face was pushed against his lean chest. She smiled. This, at least, was something familiar.

"Thanks," she whispered, as he finally released her.

"You'll do fine," he assured her. "Just remember your training."

"I will," Sakura nodded. "Now it's time for me to go."

"We'll meet up as soon as it's safe for you to get away. As a medic, you should be allowed to leave the camp fairly easily, but we shouldn't make contact with each other for the first week unless it's an absolute emergency. If that's the case, you know what to do."

"The scroll," she said, which Kakashi confirmed with a nod.

Sakura slung her pack over her shoulder and took one last look around the apartment she'd come to call home over the past month. "Well, I guess I should be off."

Kakashi nodded again. The auburn was starting to fade from his hair, and for some reason, Sakura found the sight of his silvering locks reassuring.

"Be careful."

"I will." She grinned. "Don't worry, you can't get rid of me that easily. I'll see you in a week."

"Right," Kakashi said, and when she realized the Copy Ninja wasn't going to say anymore, Sakura nodded one last time and shut the door behind her.

She and Kakashi were both awful at goodbyes.

**~A/N: Hello everyone! Today's the day I finally get on schedule! First full week of classes too, so everything's finally falling into place. Also, as a college student on her fourth bowl of ramen this week, I would like to say that I sympathize with Sasuke, Yamato, and Sai on this one... Anyway, happy reading! **


	25. Carrying On

**Twenty-Five: Carrying On**

"Are you sure you don't need me to go with you, Kaiya?" Mitsuo asked for at least the third time.

The blonde boy was just trying to be kind, Sakura knew that, but he clearly felt like he had to watch over her like she was his younger sister. It was going to make her mission more difficult if her new friends felt like they had to be with her every minute of every day. Luckily, they had to go through training that she, as a medic, did not, so the kunoichi was able to find some time to sneak around.

"I'm sure. I just need to go out and collect some herbs," Sakura said.

As a medic, Sakura was allowed more freedom than the average recruit, and it had made her life behind enemy lines the past month a lot easier. Not only was she not occupied by the hours of training exercises the others had to go through, but the camp she was stationed at had been sorely lacking in medics. It had taken the leaders just over a week to realize she was the most experienced healer and basically promote her to head medic.

She couldn't have asked for a smoother infiltration.

"_Keep your guard up. With infiltration, you never know when someone sharp might come around. You can never assume you're safe. Do that, and you'll end up dead," Kakashi had warned her. _

She felt a small pang of loneliness when she thought of her silver-haired ANBU partner. Since he had no reason to keep his disguise up, he'd been able to let the dye wash out of his hair. Sakura, unfortunately, had to keep sneaking away to make sure her hair didn't go back to its signature pink.

She wondered how Kakashi was doing. At first she thought he'd be bored—camping outside the barrier, while only seeing her once a week—but then she had found him absorbed in his _Icha Icha, _with the ninken spread out all around him, and Sakura knew he would be fine.

She still missed him, though. The kunoichi had grown used to having him around, and after living together for almost two months, it felt somewhat strange to be apart. She wondered if all ANBU teams felt like this, or if she and Kakashi had a special connection, because he'd been her teacher and teammate before.

"Well, if you're sure you'll be okay," Mitsuo said, dragging her from her thoughts. "You never know if there could be enemies out there, or bandits."

"My brother taught me basic self-defense," Sakura protested, still annoyed that she had to act like an incompetent fighter. The looks she got from some of the men were bad enough, and if it hadn't been for Mitsuo and the others looking out for her like protective older brothers, she probably would have lost her cool and pounded someone into the ground by now.

"Ah, relax Mitsuo," Akio said, rolling his eyes. "We all know you've got a crush on Kaiya, but—"

"What?" Mitsuo stammered, blushing slightly. "I don't have a crush on Kaiya!"

"Aw, come on—"

"Cut it out, Akio," his cousin groaned. "Quit trying to stir up drama. I know you want to see some action, but this is ridiculous. What are you, twelve?"

Sakura laughed nervously, her face coming close to matching her red hair. "Look, I'll be okay. It's not like I'm going that far from camp to get the herbs. I'll see you guys later, okay?"

Isamu looked up from his food. He was the only one to hear her, as Mitsuo and the cousins were still arguing.

"See you later," he nodded, looking back to his food.

Sakura walked easily through the camp. After a month of treating their various scrapes and bruises—as well as the occasional serious injury—she had earned the respect of almost all the men and women stationed there.

"Heading out to get supplies, Kaiya?" the guard asked as she approached the edge of the barrier.

"Yes, sir!" she said brightly—another part of her character. "We're running low on a lot of herbs."

"Looks like we need to tell the men to stop injuring themselves, eh?" he laughed.

Sakura joined in. "If you think of a way to make that work, be sure to let me know."

"Holler if you need anything," the guard said, watching as Sakura nodded before slipping carefully through the barrier and heading out to gather her herbs.

Sakura kept her guard up even after she left the restrictions of the barrier behind. The rebels trusted her, and had to reason to suspect their top medic was doing anything other than what she said, but Sakura had taken Kakashi's advice to heart. The last thing she wanted to do was blow her cover by bringing a horde of angry rebels to her meeting place with Kakashi.

She and Kakashi had been secretly meeting up once a week, under the pretense of her gathering herbs and various other medical supplies. In reality, Kakashi had everything already prepared for her, and they spent the hour going over anything new either of them had learned.

Kakashi occasionally ventured out and spoke with travelers, but he never wanted to be gone long in case something happened and Sakura needed backup. She had assured him that she would be fine, but he wasn't willing to take any risks after he had nearly been killed twice. He hoped Tsunade was getting a good paycheck from this mission, one he hoped would translate into a nice bonus for himself—not that he needed the money.

When she was certain no one had followed her, Sakura whistled softly, and Kakashi appeared from behind a tree.

"You look exhausted," was the first thing he said.

"Thanks," she muttered dryly.

"Did you sleep last night? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, but no, I didn't get much sleep last night. Stupid recruits with their stupid training injuries. I swear, it's like treating genin all over again!"

Kakashi laughed, and despite her tiredness, Sakura found herself joining in.

"Now you know how I felt about you three," Kakashi said, taking a seat and relaxing against a large boulder. Sakura followed suit, sliding down next to him.

"I'm pretty sure it was mainly Sasuke and Naruto that got injured from the training."

Kakashi's dark eye glimmered as he looked down at her. "If I remember correctly, you came crying to me with your fair share of scraped knees."

Sakura wanted to burry her head in embarrassment. She had been such a wimp when she was younger.

"I try to forget about that stage of my life," she grumbled.

Kakashi smiled. "I found it sort of cute."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Great. Because that's what every ninja wants to be called. _Cute._"

He reached out to ruffle her hair. "So did you find anything out?"

She groaned. "Nothing. I'm beginning to think I got stuck in the reject camp."

"Cheer up," Kakashi said, noticing her glum expression. "You're too good of a medic to keep out of action for long. If nothing happens here, they'll move you to where there _is _something going on."

"Yeah, I guess. What about you, anything?"

"Hm, well, in the latest volume of _Icha Icha, _the busty blonde protagonist—"

"Ew, okay, never mind. Forget I asked. I do _not _want to hear the intimate details of Master Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade's sex life. You know, just because she finally agreed to go out with him doesn't mean that pervert needed to write about it in his books. I don't know how you can read that. Hey, what's wrong?" The Copy Ninja had gotten a funny look on his face. "Kakashi?"

"I've…never really thought about it like that," he said, suddenly looking at his precious porn book like it would never be the same again.

"Oh, well, sorry I ruined it for you," Sakura said, but Kakashi didn't think she sounded all that upset about it.

"Right. Well, I guess that's that, then. You should try to get a bit of sleep. You've still got about an hour before you have to head back."

Sakura yawned, emerald eyes fluttering closed. "Yeah, I guess I do. Hm, a nap does sound nice."

She was already asleep when her head lay back against the hard stone. Unwaking, she grimaced and rolled her head to the side, leaning gently against Kakashi's arm. The Copy Ninja stiffened, but Sakura seemed to relax, so he wasn't about to disturb her. Instead, he shifted slightly, adjusting his body so she could rest more comfortably.

He knew Sakura was stretching herself thin, between taking care of the injured all day, and then turning around and spying once night fell. He didn't blame her for sleeping when she could. Kakashi also doubted that she allowed herself to sleep this deeply, even in her own tent.

He brushed a wayward strand of auburn hair out of her face. For an hour, at least, she could sleep carefree. He would watch her back.

* * *

"Hey, did you hear the news?" Akio asked the next morning at breakfast.

Sakura yawned, not particularly caring about whatever news he had heard. She'd been out late again the previous night, searching the camp for any sort of battle plans or clues that could help them.

"Some pretty high-ranking people are coming to camp today. Apparently our camp is centrally located in terms of the larger bases, so someone decided they should all stay here. Crazy, huh?"

"Yeah," Sakura whispered, suddenly interested. This could be the break they'd been waiting for.

"Do you know who it is?" Isamu asked.

Akio shook his head. "No. I just overheard some of the instructors talking about it last night, but I don't think I was supposed to, so I didn't ask."

"What if it's Kenji Mizushima?" Akira pondered. "That guy's a legend. Every kid wanted to be him when they were little, even if he was sort of thought of as evil at the time."

"When are they supposed to get here?" Mitsuo asked. "I haven't seen anyone making any sort of preparations. You didn't hear anything about this, did you Kaiya?"

Sakura shook her head. To be honest, she was a bit surprised she hadn't been warned there would be more soldiers coming. As a medic, she needed to be prepared. But, it would work out in her favor in the end, because she could use the new arrivals as an excuse to go out and meet Kakashi.

"Weird." Isamu shrugged.

Just as they were going to put their plates away and go about their respective days, they heard a commotion coming from the entrance to camp.

"Well," Akira muttered, "I suppose that answers that question. Come on, let's go see who it is."

The group hurried to where the noise was coming from. Unfortunately, everyone else seemed to have the same idea.

"I can't see," Akio complained.

Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He was shorter than average in height for a man, but she was a bit shorter than average for a woman, so there was no way she could. Isamu and Mitsuo, however, were on the taller side—Isamu was taller than even Kakashi—so they at least, could explain what was going on.

"I don't think it's anyone famous," Mitsuo said, scanning the new arrivals. "The captain's a blonde guy, but I don't know him. It looks like his second-in-command has brownish hair? Ring any bells?"

They all shook their heads. Brown and blonde hair were about as common as it came in the Land of Silver. Even Sakura's auburn wasn't all that strange.

"Oi! You recruits, quit staring! Don't you have duties to attend to?" one of the instructors snapped at the growing crowd.

The onlookers all scattered, not wanting to get stuck with cleaning duty or any other sort of punishment, Sakura and her group included.

"I guess we'll see you later then, Kaiya," Mitsuo said, waving as they parted ways. The boys headed to training, while Sakura made her way to the medical tent.

"If they tell you anything, be sure to let us know!" Akio added.

"Okay, I will," Sakura said.

One way or another, she was going to find out who those people were and why they were here. She wasn't going to squander the only good opportunity she'd come across since this mission started.

"Oh, Kaiya. Good, you're here. There's someone I'd like you to meet. This is the captain of the third regiment," Sakura's commander said, moving out of the way so she could get a good look at the blonde man from earlier.

Third regiment. Sakura played it over in her mind as the blonde man stepped forward. Why did the third regiment sound familiar to her? Was that where Isamu's brother was stationed? She cursed her slow mind. She _knew _someone had mentioned the third regiment to her before.

"So you're the top medic here?"

"Yes, sir," Sakura nodded.

"Well, I'm pleased to meet you. My name is Kaoru Shiba."


	26. Old Friends

**Twenty-Six: Old Friends**

Strangely enough, Sakura didn't panic when the blonde captain told her his name—not even internally. She maintained a calm that did her ANBU training proud. The only thing running through her head was _oh, so that's why the third regiment seemed so familiar. _That was the regiment Kakashi had infiltrated before.

"It's good to meet you, sir," she said, reaching out to shake his offered hand. She was careful not to grip too tightly.

"Shiba here is one of our best new captains," her commander said, smiling at the blonde man like he was the best thing that had ever graced the rebellion with his presence. And, Sakura supposed, in a way, he probably was. He was the one who caught Kakashi Hatake, and even if he hadn't been able to stop him, that feat was good enough.

"You give me too much credit, sir," Kaoru said, bowing his head slightly to the man in thanks. "Please, allow me to introduce my second-in-command, Hideki Osaka. He will be helping with any commanding duties while we are staying here."

"Welcome, sir," Sakura said as she shook the dark-haired man's hand.

Hideki grinned. "Thanks! Ha, I feel so important here with people calling me 'sir.'"

Kaoru rolled his eyes. "As you can see, Osaka is still getting used to his position."

Hideki glared at his friend. "Oh, gimme a break, Kaoru. We were just lowly foot soldiers before we happened to befriend that Copy Ninja and catch him spying."

Sakura pretended to act surprised, since Kaoru and her commander were both still looking at her. "So you're the ones who caught the intruder?"

"Well, technically it was just Kaoru," Hideki said sheepishly. "I honestly thought he was just our weird friend."

Sakura wanted to laugh, because 'the weird friend' was a fairly accurate description of Kakashi, but that would definitely blow her cover. She made a mental note to remember to tell Kakashi what his old 'friends' had thought about him when she saw him next, however.

"I was just doing my job like any soldier," Kaoru said simply, attempting to wave his actions off, but Sakura could tell he was sharper than the average recruit. He probably wasn't Shikamaru-level intelligent, but she would definitely have to be more careful if he was around—especially because he'd been the one to figure out Kakashi's identity.

Sakura inhaled sharply, suddenly wondering how much Kaoru actually knew about Kakashi. Would he have looked up more information on the Copy Ninja after he had fled? Or would he have just let it go? Could Kaoru actually know who _she, _Sakura Haruno, was? If he knew about Kakashi's teammates, it could pose a problem. Sakura was thankful she'd had the foresight to dye her hair. She would have to try to avoid the man as much as possible. She wondered if it would be harder for her to get out to make her weekly visits to "gather herbs."

The three men left after politely excusing themselves, and Sakura busied herself in her work. She worked at a much quicker pace than usual, sorting through their supplies and taking inventory now that they had more men to care for. Sakura wanted to finish as soon as she could so she could head out to collect more herbs.

She needed to talk to Kakashi. If Kaoru had come to camp, he needed to know.

* * *

As it turned out, Sakura didn't need to worry about the camp being shut down more tightly with Kaoru's arrival. The guards were still as friendly as ever, and she had no problem explaining to them that she'd forgotten to grab a certain herb the other day, so she needed to go out and get more. Like every week, they offered to go with her for protection, but Sakura declined, saying she wasn't going far and promising to call if she needed their assistance.

She hurried faster than she normally would have under normal circumstances. It wasn't a conscious decision, she was just preoccupied with worrying about Kaoru, and her pace matched that.

Kakashi, however, didn't know that.

He froze when he saw Sakura heading toward him, moving at a fast pace with a flustered look on her face. Only someone who had known her for as long as he had would be able to tell, but something was clearly bothering her. His first thought was that she had been found out.

"Sakura! What's wrong?" he asked, dropping out of the tree he was hiding in and into a defensive position instantly. "Are you being followed?"

"No," she said, a bit breathlessly. She frowned, realizing for the first time that she must have been moving at a faster pace than she'd initially thought.

"Then what's wrong?"

"Kakashi, we've got a problem. Kaoru Shiba is here. The same Kaoru that discovered you."

Kakashi's visible eye widened. "We should leave, now."

"What?"

"I'm serious, Sakura. You can't stay there. If he's done any sort of research on me, he might know who you are too. It would be bad for Konoha, not to mention us, if he were to catch on to you too."

"I get what you're saying, but just wait a minute. I was basically alone with him, and he didn't act like he recognized me."

"You were alone with him?" Kakashi exclaimed, gripping her shoulders. "Sakura, you have to be careful. He's smarter than you think."

"I know that," she said, and Kakashi dropped his grip on her. "It wasn't like I had a choice. My commander brought him into the medical tent to introduce us. He didn't seem to know who I was. I think if he had, he would have said something."

"Hm."

Kakashi frowned, wondering how likely Kaoru would be to sit on that sort of information. If he thought Sakura was working with someone else, he might wait and see if he could discover the other intruders, but the more he thought about it, the more inclined he felt to agree with Sakura. Kaoru probably hadn't recognized her.

"I still don't like that he's shown up here," Kakashi said, narrowing his eye. "But I trust your judgment on this."

Sakura paused, thinking about her decision. It wasn't just her that would be affected by this. Kakashi and the rest of the village could be put in danger too if she messed up.

"We'll wait it out for one week," she said finally. "If by then we haven't heard anything about the leader then we can go. But I'm pretty sure I can stay under the radar until then."

"Pretty sure isn't good enough in our line of work, Sakura," Kakashi warned.

"Then I am sure."

"Okay then. One week. Are we still meeting on our normal day?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. It wasn't hard for me to get out of camp at all, so I can still meet you then. But I probably should be getting back earlier today. I told the guards I only needed to collect one herb."

"You should probably keep your searching to a minimum too, at least while Kaoru and his men are here. You don't want to give anyone a reason to suspect you."

"That's probably a good idea."

Sakura turned to go, but she was stopped by Kakashi's hand on her shoulder.

"Be careful. Don't do anything reckless without sending for me first."

She grinned. "So you're implying we can do the reckless stuff together?"

His eye lit up. "Exactly."

* * *

Sakura swore as another tool snapped under her unnatural strength. It was the second one she'd broken that afternoon alone. Groaning, she picked up the shattered pieces and disposed of them in a trashcan.

She had been crushing ingredients to make medicine all week it seemed, so she hadn't been able to find time to walk around camp and see what was going on. There were only two days left until she was supposed to meet Kakashi, and if they had no news in the next four days then they were going to have to leave.

Kaoru Shiba coming to camp sure had put a wrench in her plans. His men were better trained than the ones who were stationed at the camp, so she probably couldn't have snuck around at night even if she'd wanted to. But the lack of action mixed with the tension of having Kaoru around was starting to make her crazy.

"Can I come in?"

Sakura's eyes widened, and she was glad her back was to the tent opening, so no one saw her slip a knife into the waistband of her skirt before turning around.

"Of course, Captain Shiba. Please enter."

Kaoru pushed the tent flap aside and ducked into the tent. He was alone, Sakura noted.

"Is there something I can help you with? I hope you're not sick or injured."

"No, no," he said, waving her off. "I'm just here to pick up the supplies for the scout team that's going out tonight."

Sakura frowned. The scout team normally wouldn't go out for another five days. Kaoru must have seen her confusion, because he quickly explained.

"I guess word hasn't reached you out here yet. Understandable, considering the messengers are all new here, it would be easy to forget to inform you. This camp is going to host the leaders of our army. As head medic, you should have been informed so you can adequately prepare."

"How many soldiers are we talking here? I will need to get more supplies," she added quickly, in case her question seemed odd.

"I'm not sure, but it will most likely just be the leaders and their guards. We don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves before any sort of plan can be made."

"I must ask. These leaders that you speak of, would they be the ones leading the rebellion?"

Sakura hoped she wasn't overstepping her bounds with her questions, but she needed to know, and she prayed Kaoru thought it was for medical reasons.

"Yes," he said, "you can expect all three of our commanders to be here."

She nodded slowly, handing him the supplies he had originally come for. "I will make sure to be prepared then. Thank you for informing me, sir."

"Of course," he said, but he made no move to leave.

"Was there something else you needed, captain?"

"No," the blonde said, shaking his head. "I was just thinking about how lucky this camp was to find a medic as good as you, and one with healing abilities as well."

Sakura's hand twitched toward the knife. She couldn't tell if Kaoru was suspicious or not. Kakashi had been right. This man was hard to read.

"Thank you, sir," she said evenly.

"Normally only shinobi are capable of using healing arts. They call it 'medical ninjutsu.' It's very rare to find a civilian with this kind of training, unless they come from a family line of doctors, of course," he mused.

Sakura breathed out, thankful that Kakashi had chosen a family tradition of medicine to be a part of their cover story.

"My older brother and my father, while he was alive, were both doctors. I believe my grandfather was a medic as well. My father and brother taught me everything I know."

Kaoru nodded, as if satisfied by her answer. "Well, lucky for us they did."

He smiled at her as he stood, taking the supplies she'd given him and exiting the tent. Sakura stared after him for a moment, pondering the fact that she had just gained Kaoru Shiba's trust. That was something to tell Kakashi.

**~A/N: Hey guys! So there probably isn't going to be a chapter on Friday. I've got a lot of work for an online class due tomorrow, and I've been interviewing for various jobs and internships lately so I haven't had as much free time as I'd like :( I'm taking 16 credit hours this semester, but 4 of those are this online science class that will end in mid October, so this will hopefully be the busiest time of the year for me. Sorry about not getting another chapter out this week, but I will have one next week for sure! **


	27. Change of Plans

**~A/N: I'm back! As promised :) I know it seems like there hasn't been a whole lot going on lately (and if you don't think that, then yay!) but as far as the action goes, we're going to be getting back to it pretty soon. We're coming closer to the end of this little "arc." I think maybe around 5 more chapters. Anyway, enjoy! **

**Twenty-Seven: Change of Plans**

"Two weeks?" Kakashi asked.

"Two weeks."

"And Kaoru told you this himself?"

Sakura nodded.

"And he didn't seems suspicious?"

"I don't think he would have given me that information if he thought I was a traitor."

Kakashi frowned. "You'd be surprised. He could be trying to bait us into coming out in the open."

She shook her head. "You weren't there, Kakashi. He seemed sort of suspicious at first—I think he thought I had had shinobi training—but once I told him my cover story he seemed to relax. It looks like the doctor family excuse is a common enough one."

"Well, we can't exactly have you disappear now. It would be too suspicious."

"It's just two weeks. You're not usually this cautious. What's with you?"

"I just don't like this mission."

"Why?" Sakura prodded, but Kakashi crossed his arms and refused to elaborate further.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. If you want to be that way, fine. You've been on-edge lately, though. If you ever feel like telling me what's up, I'll be waiting."

"Sakura—" he started, realizing she sounded like she was actually annoyed with him, but she was already gone.

* * *

"Wow! It seems like we haven't eaten dinner together in ages!" Akio exclaimed, not wasting any time before starting in on his food. It didn't look particularly appealing to Sakura, but the rest of the boys—minus Isamu—didn't seem phased by it.

"You think it looks like sloppy leftovers from two weeks ago too?" Isamu asked, shooting a knowing glance her way.

Sakura grinned. "You know it."

"I bet they're saving all the good food for when the big shots get here," Akira grumbled, looking down at his dish but eating it anyway.

"Who cares? Let's eat!"

Akira rolled his eyes as his cousin dug in, making a mess of everything in the process. "Maybe this is why we never eat together. No one likes to be around you when you pig out."

Akio said something unintelligible, which caused his cousin to glare and argue back. At that point, Sakura decided she wanted nothing to do with their conversation and turned back to her own meal.

"So they've really been working you hard lately too, huh?" Mitsuo asked, turning his attention toward her.

"Yeah," Sakura sighed, rubbing her forehead. "We've got to prepare for the influx of troops that may or may not be coming to this planning meeting thing."

"Sounds like you don't know much more than the rest of us," Isamu observed.

She shook her head. "Not really. Captain Shiba said that the leaders would all be coming here, but even he didn't know—or didn't say—how many soldiers we should expect. I just hope we have the supplies to treat everyone while they're here."

"I hope so too," Mitsuo said. "There's no telling if our enemy will try to attack while we're all concentrated here."

"For that to happen, the enemy would have to _know _we're all here," Isamu pointed out.

Mitsuo shrugged. "You know how word travels, even if you try to keep it a secret."

"I suppose you're right. Well Kaiya, you ready to see some action."

"Um, not really. I'd actually prefer it if all of you guys didn't come to see me with gaping holes in your chest," she deadpanned.

"It's not funny," she added, when the boys laughed.

"Ah, you don't need to worry about us," Akio said through a full mouth. "We're fighting gods."

Sakura laughed. "I'll believe that when I see it."

"Hey! We are! We've been training hard every day!"

"Then I guess I have nothing to worry about." Sakura smiled, but secretly she was a bit worried about them. She knew her persona was only for the sake of the mission, but the medic had found herself becoming attached to the four boys. She could almost call them friends, and she wished dearly that they didn't have to be a part of the rebel army.

Sakura kept telling herself not to let it bother her, but it did. What happened if one of them was killed later on? She hadn't meant to get attached, but they were basically her teammates out here, and she felt a little less alone when they were around.

She wanted to talk to Kakashi about it, and thought about bringing it up every time she went to meet him, but she never did. She got the impression that these weren't problems the silver-haired jonin had a lot. Her former sensei was probably better at staying detached from the people he encountered on missions.

"Kaiya?"

"Hm?" she asked, realizing that Akira had asked her a question. "Sorry, what was that?"

"Are you okay?" Mitsuo asked, turning to look at her with a concerned expression on his face. "You've seemed a bit distant ever since we heard about the gathering."

Sakura's gut clenched. She didn't think she'd done anything to arouse their suspicions. They couldn't suspect her, could they?

"Well of course she's off, Mitsuo. She's got to be working like crazy to get ready for that troop influx, right Kaiya?" Akio said, coming quickly to her defense.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. Sorry guys, I'm just a bit more tired than usual. I don't get breaks like this often."

Akira chuckled. "Well it's good to know we're not the only ones being overworked. No offense, Kaiya."

"None taken."

"Yeah, well hopefully it all pays off when the leaders come to camp and see how good we all are. Then maybe we'll get to see some action. You know what that means," Mitsuo said.

"More money!" they all chorused, laughing as they downed their beers.

Sakura nodded, a half smiled painted on her face. She brought the drink to her lips, but couldn't bring herself to take a sip. She just kept thinking of all the men that were going to die when she and Kakashi exposed the rebellion's secrets to Sasaki and his men, and wondered how many of them were fighting for ideals and how many were fighting to support their families. She suspected the number was not tipped heavily toward the answer she preferred.

"Guys! Hey guys! Did you hear the news?"

Another recruit—Sakura didn't know his name—came running up to them. The small redhead was waving his arms excitedly, and the medic had to suppress a giggle. The kid did _not_ look like he could be part of an army.

"What is it?" Mitsuo asked, putting down his chopsticks and giving the kid his full attention. Mitsuo was polite like that.

"Apparently things are going to start changing around here," the kid said, sounding a bit more smug now that he knew something the rest of them didn't.

"Changing?" Sakura asked, not liking the direction this was headed. "What's changing? And why?"

He shrugged. "I don't really know. I was just told that that Captain Shiba's finally starting to take charge around here, now that the big shots are coming in."

Akira snorted. "That showoff. He just wants to act all powerful when the commanders get here. I bet he thinks he'll be able to move up a rank or two."

"Of course. It's always about a show of authority with those types," his cousin agreed.

"Who cares? What I want to know is what he's going to do with our camp, and with all of us? I don't like this change thing. Things were running just fine before he showed up," Isamu grumbled.

"Careful," Mitsuo warned. "You probably shouldn't say that too loud."

"Mitsuo's right," Sakura cautioned. "We don't want to draw hostile attention to ourselves."

"What do you have to worry about?" Akio asked. "You're a medic."

"I worry about _you _idiots!" Sakura hissed, trying to keep her voice down.

The redheaded kid laughed. "Well, whatever. I'm going to tell the next table. I'm sure we'll hear more about it at the meeting tonight."

"Meeting?" Isamu asked.

"You guys really don't know anything, do you?"

The kid had a stupid grin on his face, and even Sakura looked like she wanted to punch it right off him now. But her self-control was better than that. Years of being on the same team as Naruto and Sai had done wonders for learning to control her temper.

"Well are you going to tell us?" Sakura snapped when she realized the dumb kid wasn't going to offer up the information on his own.

"No need to snap," he said haughtily, and Sakura found herself taking very deep and very calming breaths. She was _not _going to blow her cover by murdering some brat, no matter how annoying he was. "I'll tell you, since you all seem so confused."

This kid made Naruto look like a saint.

"Apparently all the commanders have called a meeting tonight. Everyone's to attend. A special squad will even be taking over on guard duty so all the guards can be there. According to the rumor going around, the commander's supposedly going to relinquish control of this camp, and name Captain Shiba commander."

Five pairs of eyes grew wide as the rebels took in the kid's words.

"I wonder who he had to threaten to make that happen," Isamu muttered.

"He probably just had to ask," Akira snorted. "He did catch that spy, remember?"

"So what?" Akio said. "It's just a spy."

Mitsuo shook his head. "No it was that shinobi from the Hidden Leaf. The one who was a commander in the last Ninja War."

"Okay, so the idiot probably earned his title. Big deal. I agree with Isamu. I don't like him coming here and messing things up. We did just fine without him."

"Yeah, well, I'd watch what you say," the redhead said, sauntering off to tell anyone else he could find his news. "I think Captain Shiba's smarter than he looks. And meaner too."

Sakura thought the kid had a point. She didn't like this sudden power play by Kaoru. Was it completely innocent? Or was the man still sharper than she was giving him credit for?

She wished she had Shikamaru with her. The shadow user would be able to figure out what Kaoru was playing at. There had to be a point to all of this. Kaoru was smart—he wouldn't have caught Kakashi otherwise—so there had to be a reason he wanted to take control of the camp, didn't there? Or maybe he did just want to advance his status in the army before the fighting started.

"Kaiya? Are you all right? You look a little pale? Are you worried about something?"

Mitsuo's concerned face appeared in front of hers, bringing her back to reality.

"No," Sakura lied. "I'm fine. I just got a sudden headache, that's all. It's probably from working with those herbs all day."

"You really shouldn't overwork yourself. I know you're busy with the new troops coming, but you can't heal any of us if you're too worn out yourself. And if you get sick, there's no one to heal you."

"I'll be fine, Mitsuo. I promise. I just think maybe I should go lie down for a bit, before that big meeting that kid was talking about. I wouldn't want to miss it."

"I'll walk you back to your tent," he offered, and seeing no plausible reason to decline him, Sakura grudgingly accepted.

She had been hoping to sneak around and try to find out what was going on, but she would have to make Mitsuo think she went to her tent first. Oh well, she thought. At the most, it would take five minutes for him to leave, and then she could be on her way.

"Thank you for walking me back," she said, once the pair had reached her tent.

Sometimes, if she was working particularly late or early, she slept in the medical tent, but she did have her own sleeping quarters in the residential section of the camp.

"No problem," Mitsuo said. "Will you be alright now? Do you need me to get you anything?"

Sakura shook her head, wishing the blonde would stop fussing. "No. I'm fine, really. I just need to rest a bit and clear my head. I'll meet up with you guys later at the meeting, okay?"

Mitsuo nodded. "Sleep well. I hope you feel better."

"Thanks."

* * *

Ten minutes later Sakura had changed into more comfortable clothing and was sneaking out the back flap of her tent, careful not to make a sound. She didn't think anyone was sleeping around her, but she couldn't afford to run into anyone else that would want to walk her somewhere. If she wasn't on a mission, she would have really appreciated the chivalry—there wasn't a lot of it back in Konoha, seeing as she could beat almost every man there in terms of physical strength—but now she didn't have time for it.

Sakura slipped into an alleyway that she'd found was rarely used, and started making her way toward the center of camp. She tried to remain aware of her surroundings, but she found her mind kept slipping back to Kaoru and the mysterious leaders of the rebellion.

She was starting to get the bad feeling about this mission that everyone else seemed to have—Kakashi especially. Sakura frowned, thinking of the silver-haired jonin. He seemed to really hate this mission, and she couldn't figure out why. He hadn't been tortured or even injured when Kaoru had figured out his identity, so Sakura had no ideas as to why he was acting so sulky. She supposed his personality was a part of it.

He'd gotten like that before, when they were all together in Team Seven, and back then she'd just let it go. Back then it never would have upset her that he didn't talk to her, or tell her things, but now that they were ANBU partners, she couldn't deny the fact that she felt closer to him. She knew it was dumb, and he probably didn't feel any different toward her, but she at least had felt like she'd gotten to know her mysterious former sensei a little bit better. After all, they'd spent almost every moment together before she'd infiltrated this base.

And speaking of the base, Sakura had a mission to focus on.

"Fancy seeing you here," a familiar voice said from the shadows, causing Sakura to instantly freeze.

"Captain Shiba?" she asked, thankfully remembering to stay in character.

"Do you want to tell me what you're doing out here all alone, Kaiya?"


	28. Preparations

**Twenty-Eight: Preparations**

Kakashi sighed, pacing back and forth between two trees while he waited for Sakura to show up. It was five hours past their normal meeting time, and the medic wasn't normally one to be late.

"Relax boss," Pakkun said, lifting his head up from where he was sunbathing on a nearby rock. "I'm sure she'll be here any time now. She probably just got busy treating someone back at camp."

Kakashi paused just long enough to look at the little pug before he resumed his pacing.

"Yeah. I sure hope you're right."

When Sakura hadn't shown up on time, Kakashi had figured she was still angry at him for the other day. He hadn't meant to seem cold and upset her by refusing to elaborate, but he honestly hadn't thought she'd care. Back when they were just normal teammates, Sakura would never have given his lack of explanation another thought. But now that they were ANBU teammates, she probably felt like he owed her at least a little more insight into what was going on in his head.

Kakashi supposed she was right. It was his own fault for keeping everyone out for so long, though. The first people he'd ever really let in had been Rin and Obito, and look what had happened to them. Then there was Minato-sensei, and he'd died too. In fact, the only person from his youth that he'd trusted implicitly who wasn't dead was Tenzo, and he hadn't been able to have contact with him for years while the wood-style user was still a member of ANBU.

There was always Gai, but Gai was Gai, and not always the best for deep and meaningful conversation when they were younger. He was better for having fun with, and that was something the silver-haired jonin didn't get a lot of.

He realized that over the course of their time together in ANBU—especially during their month-long stay in Gintown—he had started to grow comfortable with Sakura. He'd shared things with her and spoken to her in ways that before had only been reserved for those five people. And while he was accustomed to going right back to his usual, quiet self, Sakura probably wasn't. Knowing his medic, she would think _she'd _done something wrong.

He would make a point to tell her it wasn't anything she did, and apologize when she showed up.

_If _she showed up, a growing part of his brain was telling him. It wasn't like Sakura to be this late. Something had to be wrong.

"Pakkun!" Kakashi yelled suddenly, startling the pug out of his nap. "Come here. I need you to do something for me."

"What is it, boss?"

"I need you to sneak into the enemy's camp and find Sakura. I'm starting to get a bad feeling."

It only took one look at his master's face for Pakkun to see that the man really was worried. Pakkun didn't know Sakura as well as Kakashi did, but the pug knew she wasn't normally one to tolerate tardiness. He'd gotten a few good laughs over the years when the pink-haired girl yelled at his master for not showing up on time for missions.

"Sure boss. I'll go check on her."

"Thanks, Pakkun."

"No problem."

_I hope everything is all right, _Kakashi thought as he watched Pakkun disappear into the trees. He kept staring long after the small dog had disappeared, before he resumed his pacing in the forest.

* * *

Pakkun sensed the genjutsu barrier easily enough this time, since he already knew where it was. He tried not to let Kakashi's worry rub off on him, but he had to admit he was a little nervous. It wasn't like Sakura to miss a meeting unless something was keeping her from leaving.

The pug slipped easily through the barrier. The guards may have been well trained, but they weren't shinobi, so they wouldn't know that a disturbance as small as the one he caused by passing through was something that they should be worried about.

Now he just had to find Sakura, and he had to find her without being seen. He'd discarded his identifying gear when Kakashi had joined back up with ANBU, but even as a regular dog, an army wasn't likely to let him stick around.

Still, Pakkun had worked with Kakashi since they were both very young, and he knew how to move about in far more dangerous areas than this and not get caught. He was the captain of Kakashi's ninken for a reason.

Sakura's scent was easy enough to sniff out, because it was the only one Pakkun was familiar with. And just like back in Konoha, it was mixed up with the smells of herbs and medicine—neither of which were Pakkun's favorite smells, after Sakura had tricked him into taking some once when he'd been sick.

The pug, it seemed, had inherited Kakashi's immense dislike of hospitals, and therefore kept skipping his scheduled appointments with Kiba's sister. Kakashi hadn't felt particularly inclined to make him go either, telling Sakura that Pakkun insisted he was fine and he trusted him. Sakura had laughed, saying something about how his definition of fine was usually anything but fine, and proceeded to trick Pakkun into eating some medicine by telling him it was a treat. He hadn't forgiven her for weeks.

Pakkun quickly tracked the scent, pushing aside all his inhibitions about following a smell that would take him towards medicine. He had no trouble staying out of sight; in fact, he hardly saw any people out at all. It was somewhat surprising to the pug, seeing as it was a war camp, but he didn't let himself dwell on it, instead concentrating on finding Sakura. He would leave worrying about the details to the humans.

Pakkun was certain to make sure that there was no one in the medical tent besides Sakura before he nudged the entrance open and slipped under the bottom of the tent flap.

Sakura turned, her keen ears picking up the near-silent sound of something entering her tent.

"Down here," a familiar voice called, and she relaxed momentarily, realizing it was only Pakkun. Then she frowned.

"Pakkun! What are you doing here! You can't be seen talking to me!" Suddenly an awful thought sprang into her mind. "What's wrong? Is it Kakashi? Has he been injured?"

The pug shook his head, laughing to himself. "You shinobi are always so worried about each other. No, Kakashi's fine. He sent me here to make sure you were okay. It's not like you to miss the scheduled meet up time, and considering the situation, Kakashi was worried something had gone wrong."

"Kakashi was worried about me?"

"Yeah. He was pacing around like an idiot," Pakkun snorted. He wondered if he was betraying his loyalty to Kakashi by telling Sakura, but the pug liked the pink-haired girl. He thought she might get a kick out of it.

Instead, she sighed. "Doesn't he trust me?"

Pakkun frowned. "Of course he trusts you. He wouldn't be on a mission with you if he didn't. Kakashi has always been very…particular about who he works with, especially in ANBU. It's not you he doesn't trust, it's everyone around you. And himself, I think. He's never been very good with that."

Sakura frowned back, cocking her head to one side like the dog she was talking to. Pakkun sure had an interesting way of putting things, but she knew the pug probably had better insight into Kakashi than anyone.

"Well, I'm fine. Everything is going okay here, but they've shut down the camp in preparation for the leaders' arrival. Even I'm not allowed out to stock up, so that's why I couldn't make it to the rendezvous point today."

"Ah, I see. What do you want me to tell Kakashi?"

"Tell him not to worry. I'll to try to sneak out the day before the leaders get here. Hopefully I'll have more information then."

"That's risky," the pug muttered, shaking his head. "I don't think Kakashi's going to like that."

"I'm the head medic. They can't keep me out of the camp forever," Sakura said. "Besides, I think I've got a plan."

Pakkun simply stared, and Sakura took it as an invitation to continue. She bent down, lowering her voice instinctively.

"Today I stole a bit of herbs from our supply closet. I didn't take enough for anyone but me to notice, but it'll make a difference over the next week. When I 'discover' that the supplies are low, they'll have to let me go out. We wouldn't want to seem like we're doing a bad job when the big shots come to town," she said with a smirk.

Pakkun grinned. "That just might work, kid. Good thinking."

"But Pakkun—there's something else. Kaoru's taken over command of this camp. Tell Kakashi he has to be careful if he's planning on snooping around here anymore. Kaoru's better about patrolling the area, and I don't need to remind him how observant he is."

"Right," the dog nodded. "I'll be sure to tell him."

"Thanks, Pakkun."

"Not a problem. Glad everything's going all right on your end. I better go and report back to Kakashi now. I'll see you later, Sakura."

"Bye, Pakkun. Be careful."

"Same to you," he said, giving her a curt nod before slipping out silently and disappearing from her view.

Sakura sighed, wondering if she should have told him about her run in with Kaoru earlier that week. No, she realized, it was probably a good idea she hadn't. He would have told Kakashi, and Kakashi seemed to be especially jumpy when it came to the blonde captain. It was probably for the best that she kept that incident to herself.

"_Fancy seeing you here," a familiar voice said from the shadows, causing Sakura to instantly freeze. _

"_Captain Shiba?" she asked, thankfully remembering to stay in character. _

"_Do you want to tell me what you're doing out here all alone, Kaiya?" _

_Sakura wanted to flee. It took every ounce of her willpower not to blow her cover and make a break for it before Kaoru could alert the whole camp that he had discovered another spy. _

_But she didn't. Instead she took a deep breath, reminding herself that this is what she trained for, and that she had a perfectly valid reason to be out there. _

"_A headache," she said, her voice sounding like something halfway between a grimace and a growl. If she hadn't been so worried, Sakura would have been impressed with her acting skills. _

"_I was heading over to the medical tent to get some medication, sir," she continued quickly, praying he believed her. "This route is usually more deserted, so I was hoping to get there quicker and avoid all the traffic that comes with taking the central path."_

"_Ah," Kaoru said, and he looked like he was about to say more, but he was interrupted by another loud voice. _

"_Kaiya! There you are!"_

"_Mitsuo?" She spun, surprised to see the blonde standing behind her with a canteen of water in his hand. "What are you doing here?"_

"_I, uh, was going to bring you this," he said sheepishly, holding up the canteen. "You had that headache, and I thought you might be dehydrated. I know you're a medic and all, but you're always working so hard that sometimes I—I mean, we—worry that you're not looking after your own health enough." _

"_Oh," she said, "thanks. But how'd you know to look for me here?" She knew better than to leave a trail._

_He grinned as she took the canteen. "I noticed you weren't in your tent when I came to give you the water, but since I'd just come from the central road and you weren't there, I knew you would have probably taken the back route to get the med tent." _

"_I see," she said awkwardly, and behind her, Kaoru laughed. Apparently someone found the situation amusing. _

"_Well, I'll leave you to it then. Make sure you take care of that headache, Kaiya."_

_He winked at her as he passed, sending shivers down her spine that she knew had nothing to do with the temperature outside. _

Thinking back on it, Sakura still couldn't tell if Kaoru had been sincere, or if he was just playing along, biding his time until he took her down. Sometimes the man showed insane levels of intelligence, and it made her think she'd stumbled upon another Shikamaru, but then at other times he appeared so dense she wondered how he'd possibly managed to uncover Kakashi's identity. It was the difference between a soldier with above-average intelligence and a ninja, she supposed.

But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't figure Kaoru Shiba out, and that was what made him so dangerous.

**~A/N: Hey guys! So I think 2 chapters a week (at least of this length) was a little ambitious of me. Until mid-October, my class schedule is insanely hectic, but things may calm down then when I am no longer in my 4 credit online course that's essentially acting as an 8 hour course now. Stupid college. Anyway, I thought about making chapters shorter to keep posting twice a week, but these chapters aren't all that long to begin with (usually 2,000-3,000 words) so I've decided that I'm going to go to weekly updates for awhile. If everything settles down or I'm able to get ahead of schedule then I will most definitely post more often, but expect updates once a week from here on out. It'll probably be on Mondays or Tuesdays, but I'm not 100% sure yet. Sorry, I wish I could've kept going at the same pace as this summer, but you know how life gets. :D **


	29. Endure

**Twenty-Nine: Endure**

If Sakura had thought that the arrival of the rebellion's top officials would liven things up around camp, she was sorely mistaken. If anything, her life had become more boring, because she had fewer injuries to deal with.

In preparation for the big event, all official training had been put on hold so everyone could focus on getting the camp ready. All senior officials, who usually handled the recruit's supervision, had been pulled away to take care of other matters—like security, which Sakura knew had been severely lacking.

Top officers were now stationed all around the camp, and some outside it as well. Even Pakkun would struggle to get inside the barrier now. Sakura would just have to endure the boredom and lay low for a little while longer. Then, if everything went according to plan, she would gather all the intel she and Kakashi needed, and they would finally be able to get out of the Land of Silver.

She didn't know about Kakashi, but Sakura knew _she _couldn't wait to sleep in her own bed in Konoha again. At this point, she'd even settle for the Land of Fire.

"What's got you so down?" one of the nurses asked, looking over at her.

"Missing the action?" another asked. "I know I am."

"Yeah, I guess," Sakura replied. "Not that I _want _people to get injured, of course. It's just been a little dull lately."

"I know what you mean," the first girl sighed. "There hasn't even been a cold to treat this week."

"We're either going to look like the best camp, or the laziest," the second said. "What sort of war camp doesn't have any patients? At this point, I'd take a paper cut!"

"_I'd _take going on a supply run. And I hate those things!"

Sakura laughed at her two assistants, glad she wasn't the only one starting to go a little stir crazy. That had nothing to do with the fact that she was a ninja.

"Well, maybe we should enjoy the peace while it lasts. Who knows how crazy things will get when the leaders show up, and who knows how much time we'll have to relax after that," Sakura said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Well, there's no sense in all of us staying put here when nothing's really going on. I'll be fine watching the tent for the rest of the afternoon. You girls can go."

Sakura felt funny calling them "girls" and giving them orders when she was younger than them, but the two nurses had gladly yielded to her authority when they realized how talented of a medic she was.

"Are you sure, Kaiya?"

"Yeah, we don't want to make you do _all _the work."

Sakura shook her head. "I'll be alright. I need to check on the supplies in storage anyway."

"Oh," the first girl said, biting her lip. "I actually meant to tell you that. I think we're out of a few herbs. I was looking back there the other day, and I noticed the levels of a few boxes were low."

"Hm," Sakura said. "I'll have to check on that."

"What are we going to do?" the second girl asked. "We're not allowed to leave camp anymore, because it might be dangerous out there."

"I'm sure if I explain the situation, I will be able to get permission to quickly go gather the herbs," Sakura reassured her. "I am the head medic, after all. Now go on, enjoy your afternoon. Let me worry about the herbs."

"If you're sure. Thanks, Kaiya!"

Sakura waved to the two girls as they exited the tent. Her plan was set in motion. She'd only taken slightly more of the herb than was necessary to concoct her various medications, but over the past week it had been enough to seriously dent their supply levels. The guards wouldn't have a choice. They would have to let her go out to collect more, she hoped.

Sakura wandered around the tent aimlessly. She had some time to kill before she was going to go put in the request to leave camp. The leaders were scheduled to arrive in two days' time, and she wanted to try to meet up with Kakashi the day before they came.

After making sure that no one was loitering around outside, Sakura cleared a space in the middle of the tent so she could get a few combat exercises in. She wasn't out of shape, per say, but not being able to train effectively for a few months didn't exactly help her physical condition.

She didn't dare risk using any sort of jutsu—she was still convinced there was some mind-jutsu user or sensor in the camp, although she'd never found anyone that seemed to display those skills. She suspected they kept him or her very well hidden.

Sakura spent a good hour going through some of the more simplistic exercises. It was hard without a sparring partner, but she made it work, imagining she was fighting against any one of her Team Seven boys.

It was nice to be able to train without interruption for once. Normally, when she tried to go through a few exercises in her tent, someone would come barging in with an injury for her to treat.

Most of the time she sensed them coming, but there were a few times when she'd had to pretend she was doing pushups or some other common form of exercise. No one ever questioned her—she was a medic after all, and they knew she took health seriously—but Sakura still had to be careful not to be seen doing anything too advanced.

Still, beginner exercises were better than no exercises.

Sakura wiped the sweat away from her brow, pleased, albeit surprised, to find that she'd been able to work up a sweat. It was still nothing compared to training with Naruto, but it was better than any workout she'd had in months.

It was early evening now, and Sakura decided it was late enough for her to go looking for someone who could approve her trip outside the barrier.

She went back to the storeroom and carefully made a log of the herbs that were low, and filled out a status report that she hoped would be convincing enough to warrant her little escapade. Figuring she should change after working up a sweat, Sakura headed back toward her personal tent to find a change of clothes.

She wasn't in any particular hurry. She still had all evening to find one of her superiors. She just hoped she could make a convincing enough case.

* * *

"Hm," her old commander said, looking over the formal request Sakura had handed to him. "I see. That does pose a problem."

Sakura shuffled her feet slightly. "Normally I wouldn't ask something like this, sir. I just want to make sure we're prepared when the commanders arrive. I wouldn't want us to look sloppy."

She had been around the man long enough to know he took appearances seriously, and even though Kaoru was technically the commander now, she knew the old man would still see the camp as a reflection of himself. That was why she had decided to go to him, and why she had slipped in the bit about not wanting to look sloppy.

"Yes, of course. Very well, you can go out tomorrow. I'll let the guards know to be looking for you."

"Thank you sir," Sakura said, bowing her head slightly before taking the slip he handed to her and leaving the tent.

She still had a bit of time before she was supposed to meet her friends for dinner, so she decided to take a stroll around the camp, to see if anything was going on. She wasn't looking for anything specific, she just wanted to keep her ears and eyes open.

Considering they only had a few days until the big arrival, Sakura was surprised that the camp was as quiet as it was. There weren't many soldiers roaming the alleys, and there appeared to be even less huddled in groups. She wondered if everyone else was starting to get a bit restless as well.

Sakura hadn't really been paying attention to where she was going, instead letting her feet take her where they will, but she soon found herself near one of the outskirts of camp, west of where her medical tent was located. She heard voices that she recognized, and she realized she was close to the tents where the ranked officers were headquartered.

Looking around to make sure no one else was in sight, she quickly slipped behind some boxes closer to the tent, which she assumed now belonged to Kaoru, seeing as it was the largest.

The blonde's voice drifted over to her, and she crouched down lower, flattening herself so she would be out of sight to anyone passing by. She had to strain her ear a bit, but as long as it stayed quiet, she would be able to hear their conversation.

Sakura didn't dare risk getting any closer to the tent. For one, she didn't want to make a sound that could possibly alert sensitive ears to her movements, and second, she didn't want to risk that someone in the tent would be able to sense a closer presence.

She had no plausible excuse for why she was sandwiched between the two boxes, so she would just have to make sure she didn't get caught. As long as a shinobi wasn't lurking around, Sakura was confident in her own evasion skills.

"—verything's in place," a voice said, and although Sakura knew she had heard it somewhere before, she couldn't quite place it.

"Good. I'll be counting on you to make sure nothing goes wrong behind the scenes."

That was definitely Kaoru. He was probably talking to Hideki then, his second-in-command. Sakura wondered briefly why he would leave anything important to the man. From what Kakashi had told her—as well as her own observations—Hideki seemed to be a bit of an airhead.

"Yeah, of course, Kaoru. You've got enough to worry about. I'll make sure the camp is still running smoothly."

Yeah, it was definitely Hideki. She recognized his voice now. Sakura thought she heard Kaoru sigh, but she was too far away.

"This meeting is going to be the most important meeting of our lives. Hell, it's the most important meeting of _anyone_ in the rebellion's lives. It's by fluke that we even got to be a part of it. I can't afford to mess this up."

"It wasn't just a _fluke _that you caught Kakashi Hatake, Kaoru. And you're not going to mess this up. Don't worry about the camp. Leave all that stuff to me. You just concentrate on Mizushima and the others. I'm sure you will have plenty of battle plans to go over."

Sakura spiked to attention. Battle plans? She knew the meeting had to be important if it involved all the leaders, but she hadn't known that they were far enough along in their strategy—whatever it was—to have fully developed battle plans. She would have to investigate that further.

She needed to get her hands on those battle plans, but she didn't know how to yet. Telling herself she had an entire day to figure it out, she quietly removed herself from between the boxes and snuck off, now that Kaoru and Hideki's conversation had turned to something far less interesting.

She tried to formulate some sort of a plan while she got ready for bed that night, after her dinner with her friends. She didn't have any luck coming up with anything, because she didn't have any details to go on. Any detail concerning the arrival was still a well-kept secret, even from the head medic.

_Maybe Kakashi will have some ideas. _

Her gut twinged, and she was surprised to find that she was hesitant to tell the silver-haired jonin about her discovery. It was important for their mission, but she worried that would be precisely why he wouldn't trust her to be able to carry in out by herself.

Sakura hated the fact that she was considering keeping something from Kakashi. It was important information, and he was her commanding officer on this mission, her partner, and not to mention her friend.

The worst part was that she didn't know why she was doing it. She convinced herself that it was Kakashi, and she trusted him with her life—and had for many years now—but she still hesitated to tell him about the battle plans, not knowing if he'd trust her to be able to get them on her own or not. He was always a little protective—she didn't really blame him, thinking he still saw his team as twelve-year-olds sometimes—but she couldn't afford to have him sneaking around the camp and ruining months' worth of hard work because of one of his 'bad feelings.' And elite ninja or not, she knew Kakashi was stubborn enough to do just that.

She tried, but she couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that he didn't trust her abilities.

She sighed, wishing they could trust each other the way it had been with Yamato. When she was on a mission with the former ANBU captain, she didn't even have to think. In fact, it was almost like they were one person.

Sakura had thought that she and Kakashi would be like that—better even, because they had known each other longer—but she was surprised to find it had been the opposite. While Yamato had easily accepted her as his equal, Sakura worried that Kakashi still saw her as she was in the past. She wondered if they had too much history.

But there was strength in that history, she reminded herself, because that history was Team Seven. And if she knew one thing, it was that nothing was stronger than Team Seven.

She smiled as she lay down on her sleeping roll, closing her eyes and trying to quiet her mind enough to sleep.

True she had a history with Kakashi that maybe made it a little difficult for the two of them to act as equals, and true this type of trust was something they may need to work on, but Sakura still knew there wasn't anyone else she wanted to have her back on this mission. Besides, hadn't Kakashi said he trusted her already?

Her grin widened. She was stupid for worrying. She had no reason to be concerned.

* * *

"Tomorrow?" Kakashi asked, looking up from his book at the auburn-haired girl in front of him.

"Yeah," she nodded, "and there's more. I overheard Kaoru in his tent one night, and apparently the leaders are going to be discussing their battle plans while they're here."

Kakashi's eye narrowed. "So they're that far along already?"

"It seems so. But if they've already drawn out plans, then that means we'll have something tangible to bring back to Lord Sasaki."

"It will be difficult to steal," he mused. "They won't be stupid enough to leave it unguarded, and Mizushima is a highly-trained shinobi. He won't be easy to slip past. Do you have a plan?"

Sakura shook her head. "Not yet, and I can't really form one until the arrivals all get here, because they're not giving us any more information than what's necessary for us to do our jobs. It's kind of aggravating."

Kakashi, to her surprise, chuckled. "That's the point."

"Yeah, whatever," she grumbled. "But I'll think of something. Don't worry about it. I can handle this."

Kakashi looked like he wanted to say something, but he saw the determined glint in her eyes and smiled instead. His Sakura had certainly grown up.

"I don't doubt it," he said, his eye crinkling even further.

She smiled, feeling stupid for worrying about his trust in her abilities earlier. He had obviously seen how far she'd come.

"Okay. Well I should probably be heading back before the guards send someone out to search for me. But make sure you're ready to get out of here in a hurry tomorrow. I can't believe that those missing battle plans will go unnoticed for long."

Kakashi nodded, and Sakura turned away, thinking that was it, but she was surprised to feel his arm wrap around her waist and pull her back. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but he silenced her with a pat on the head and a serious gaze.

"But Sakura, do be careful. I'm not saying this because I think you're weak. It's the opposite. You're already stronger than me in some ways, and someday soon you'll surpass me completely."

Sakura's eyes widened at his unexpected words of confidence. Her former sensei didn't hand out praise lightly; it had to be earned.

"So don't think I'm saying this because I don't think you're strong. I'm saying this because this is a dangerous mission, and I ca—I don't want anything to happen to you."

He broke his contact with her as soon as he'd finished talking, and turned and started walking away from her before she'd had a chance to respond. He showed no sign of turning around, and Sakura didn't know what to say, so she simply watched him walk away before whispering to the air, "Thank you."


	30. Reveal

**Thirty: Reveal**

"So everything we've done so far has led up to this, huh?" Mitsuo murmured, lightly enough that Sakura wasn't sure if he intended to be heard or not.

The five friends were standing side by side in a line with the other recruits, in strict formation as they waited for the leaders to arrive. Everyone was on their best behavior, and only minor whispering could be heard throughout their ranks.

Her old commander had offered to let Sakura stand with the other leaders—seeing as she was the head medic—but she politely declined, acting as if she were too scared or embarrassed, but really it was to preserve her plan.

* * *

After she'd gotten back from talking with Kakashi, she'd run into Akira, who told her one of Kenji Mizushima's messengers had arrived while she was gone. Apparently, they were on schedule to arrive late in the afternoon of the next day.

_Good, that gives me some time to prepare, _she thought.

"Have you heard anything else?" she'd asked.

Akira shook his head, but it wasn't long before they'd run into the rest of their group, and Isamu seemed to have more information than they did.

He told the group that everyone would stand in formation to await the leaders' arrival, and from there, the leaders would have a short meeting in the commander's tent before heading over to the assembly they would all be required to attend.

That was all interesting information, but Sakura still hadn't formed a complete plan until Mitsuo added another important detail.

"Apparently this assembly is so important that they've even pulled the guards off-duty. If someone wanted to attack us, now would be the time."

"Yeah," Akio scoffed, "except that we've got Kenji-freaking-Mizushima here and he'd slaughter them all. Even Kaiya wouldn't be able to fix up the people _he_ got his hands on, right Kaiya?"

"Yeah," she nodded absentmindedly, idea after idea running through her head.

"I don't know," Isamu said. "Kaiya's pretty good at fixing things up."

"Yeah, but it's _Kenji Mizushima!_"

"I think Akio's got a man crush," his cousin teased, and it all went downhill from there.

Sakura, busy thinking up ways to take advantage of the fact that many of the guards would be pulled off duty that night, wasn't paying attention to them anymore. The wheels in her head were spinning faster and faster, and it was all she could do to keep up with the hundreds of possible ideas that she'd come up with.

_What would Kakashi say? Slow down. Only concentrate on what's essential to the mission. Focus on the details. _

She relaxed, a detailed plan already taking shape in her mind. Strategy had never been one of her strong suits. Someone like Shikamaru or Kakashi was more suited for that. But she had still come up with her fair share of solutions for getting out of tight situations, and Kami knows she was better at strategizing than Naruto.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Hm?" Sakura asked, a bit alarmed to find that Mitsuo had been studying her carefully without her realizing it. "Me? Nothing."

"It didn't look like nothing."

Sakura sighed, wondering why she'd had the rotten luck of actually making good friends who cared about her on this mission. Normally she would've been thrilled to meet people like them, and it wouldn't have been a problem, if she weren't about to betray them and their cause by giving top-secret information to the other side.

"I'm just worried. I'm a medic, so I don't like war, and with the commanders all gathering, it seems like it could be any day now."

That wasn't entirely a lie. Sakura really didn't like war, but she knew sometimes it was unavoidable—like the last Ninja War. Although, everyone had worked together so well during the war that she felt reasonably optimistic that she wouldn't see another between the shinobi villages in her lifetime.

"Well, I wouldn't worry about it too much. It's inevitable at this point, and there are going to be casualties no matter what, but you're a good medic, and I don't doubt that if a patient can be saved, you'll save him."

Sakura smiled, her first genuine one in days. Strangely enough, even though he had no way of knowing it, Mitsuo had made her feel better about her own experiences in the last war. True, she hadn't been able to save everyone, but she'd done the best she could—and a whole lot better than most.

"Yeah, thanks Mitsuo."

* * *

A hush fell over the crowd as soon as figures in the distance came into sight. Sakura wasn't sure if everyone actually felt like behaving, or if they were really just that in awe of the commanders. She wouldn't have been surprised either way.

Despite the fact they were her enemy on this particular mission, she was intrigued by them—especially the mystery leader whose identity she was about to become the first outsider to learn. She wondered who he was that made him feel the need to keep his identity so secret, even among his own men. She'd gotten them impression that even Kaoru—a captain in the army—didn't know who he was.

She also wanted to see who this Kenji Mizushima was. She guessed he was probably around Kakashi's age, but she couldn't be sure. She'd only heard about him from word of mouth. His skills were another unknown factor she wished she could analyze. People liked to talk him up, but she knew how rumors went. Most of the time they weren't even remotely true. Still, Kakashi had seemed to think he was a valid opponent, so Sakura assumed there had to be at least some truth behind the rumors.

"Can you see anything?" Akio hissed, only to be silenced by a glare from one of their supervisors.

"I was just asking," he muttered, this time careful to make sure his friends were the only ones who heard.

"They're almost here," Isamu whispered, "but I don't recognize anyone yet."

The next five minutes seemed agonizingly long, even to Sakura, as they waited for the group to arrive. Even the senior soldiers seemed to be growing impatient, and the more nervous ones were starting to fidget. Sakura's group, however, thankfully stayed calm.

"Halt!" she heard, and knew that the group had reached the entrance to their camp. Sakura wished she were taller; she couldn't see a thing from where she was standing.

Whispers started near the front lines, and Sakura realized they must have recognized the mystery leader. Even their superiors were whispering amongst themselves, so she knew his identity must be some sort of shock.

Next to her, Mitsuo inhaled sharply. He glanced quickly over to Isamu—the only other member of their group tall enough to see—and gave his friend a questioning glance. Isamu nodded, a frown on his face, before turning back to the parade of officers that were slowly making their way down through the ranks.

"What?" Akira asked, picking up on the two's interaction, but Isamu just shook his head.

A man with long red hair passed, followed by a shorter man with dark hair. The redhead was built a lot like Kakashi—tall, with defined, lean muscle—so Sakura assumed he was Kenji Mizushima. Then that meant the stockier man walking slightly behind him was probably Jin Takahashi, the one who had been in charge of the recruits. The recruits at her camp had never met him, but between his profile in the Bingo Book and Kakashi's information, she felt fairly confident in her assessment of him. It was the others she was more worried about.

Inhales could be heard all around her as the third member of their party walked by, looking casually at the recruits and officers around him. So this was the mystery leader behind everything that had been going on the Land of Silver so far.

Sakura frowned, realizing she recognized him—and not from the Bingo Book.

"Is that Shinji Juba?" she asked, turning to Akio beside her.

He slowly. "Yeah."

"The merchant?" Akira asked, but no one had a chance to answer because their supervisor suddenly appeared before them, dismissing them for the time being and telling them to get some food.

"Be back here in one hour for the introductory assembly. Dismissed!"

"Come on," Isamu said, steering their group away. "I'll explain who he is after we get some food."

"Fine," Akira nodded, and the five made their way into the dining tent.

They got their food—which was much better looking than the slop they normally got—and went outside to find a quiet place to eat and talk.

"Looks like they even brought out the good cooks to impress the bosses," Akira grumbled.

"Are you really going to complain?" his cousin asked. "We still benefitted from it."

"For once I'm going to have to agree with Akio," Mitsuo teased, and Sakura found herself laughing along with the others, despite her growing nerves. Every minute was bringing her closer to the most dangerous part of her plan, but when she was around her new friends she couldn't seem to care. She didn't have much longer with them, and she wanted to enjoy every minute. Her betrayal still weighed slightly on her soul, and she knew she'd bear some guilt if any of the boys were killed in action, but she'd learn to live with it.

"Yeah, whatever. So are you going to tell us the story behind Shinji Juba? I didn't know the guy had a military background," Akira said.

Sakura nodded her agreement. Even she knew who Shinji Juba was—a wealthy merchant from the Land of Silver, with a reputation of being a bit ruthless when it came to his business, but overall not a shady guy. She never would have guessed that he was the master behind the rebel activity.

He wouldn't have even been on her radar, and that was what made it so brilliant.

"He doesn't have a military background," Isamu said, shaking his head. "He doesn't need one. He's got money, and money buys loyalty—or at least, in this case, buys someone like Kenji Mizushima, who's more than capable of leading a small army."

Sakura frowned. It made sense. Someone like Kenji Mizushima probably wouldn't have joined up with the rag-tag group of rebels on his own. He wasn't the sort that fought for ideals. If he had, he wouldn't have gotten the reputation he had.

"It makes sense if you think about it," Mitsuo said, looking over at the younger boy. "Someone like Kenji Mizushima has no interest in trying to gain power. He's a shinobi, he's not going to want to rule a village or a country."

"So what's he after then?" Akio asked.

"Money," Sakura said. "Juba wants the power, but he doesn't have the military experience necessary to rebel against the Sasakis, but he does have the money to fund it. Mizushima has the experience Juba needs, and Juba has the money Mizushima wants. It's a perfect deal, really."

"He'll probably get a nice position in the new government too, so he can live comfortably without having to work," Isamu said. "It's really a good deal for both sides, although I can't say I'm sure Shinji Juba will be any better at leading the entire country than Sasaki would."

Sakura turned to the tall man. "But I thought Sasaki was just the leader of Silverton."

"Well yeah, but he's not satisfied with just having control of the capitol. He wants the entire country," Isamu said, like it was common knowledge.

Mitsuo frowned. "Didn't you know that, Kaiya?"

"Oh, oh yeah, I did. I guess I just forgot," Sakura said quickly, cursing the fact that this little tidbit of information had never come up in conversation. It seemed pretty important to her. "All these names sort of run together, huh?"

Akira and Akio laughed it off easily, but Mitsuo was giving her a strange look, like he couldn't believe she had forgotten something so important. Sakura was glad she'd already gained their trust, or she would've had to worry about blowing her cover again. Fortunately for her, she seemed to have the boys wrapped around her finger.

Too soon, the sound of their superior officers yelling at them to head over to the assembly was heard. Sakura sighed. She had hardly touched her food, although she honestly wasn't that hungry.

"Are you feeling okay?" Mitsuo asked. "You didn't eat very much. Are you nervous?"

"Yeah, I guess," Sakura said, even though the blonde boy had no idea what she was nervous for.

"You're a great medic. You don't have anything to worry about. Come on, let's head back over the assembly."

Mitsuo turned to go, but Sakura hesitated for a moment, realizing this was probably the last time she was going to see all of them together. A deeper part of her knew it was probably the last time she was going to see them ever. They might not all make it out of the impending conflict alive, and even if they did, they weren't going to want anything to do with her once they realized she betrayed them.

"Mitsuo, wait!" she called, annoyed to find that her voice had cracked.

"Kaiya? Is something wrong?"

"N-no. It's just, I was told I should stand with some of the senior officials during the assembly."

"So you're a hot shot too now, huh?" Akio asked. The rest of the group had turned back when they saw Mitsuo and Sakura weren't following.

Sakura grinned. "Yeah, I guess I am. Well, I guess this is goodbye."

She said the words as a joke, but none of the boys knew that she really meant it. She just hoped that when the truth about her came out, they would remember this, and hopefully they would know that it wasn't personal. She was just doing her job, like a good soldier. She hoped they would understand that, at least.

"Yeah, see you later!" Akio said with a wave, walking off, followed by Akira and Isamu. Mitsuo hesitated a second, like he could sense that something was off, but he too smiled and said his goodbye, turning to follow his friends.

Sakura watched them walk away sadly, angry at herself for getting so close to people she should only have been using to further her mission. She was ANBU now, and that meant she had to get better control over her feelings. The medic inside her who wanted to befriend and help everyone needed to be silenced, at least until the mission was over.

The one silver lining in all of this was that she would get to see Kakashi again, and then they could finally go home. Not that she minded staying out on missions longer, as long as Kakashi was with her. But it would be nice to see everyone again—her team, Ino, even her parents.

She sighed, walking toward the assembly. She would find an inconspicuous place to stand and wait for the ceremony to start before she made her move. She couldn't wait too long, though, or she'd risk running into people as she made her escape.

**~A/N: I completely forgot to post yesterday. :( But, good news! I was able to make some headway on this, and this chapter ended up being really long, so I split it into two. So there's a good chance you'll get multiple chapters either this week or next week. I'm going to be gone all weekend, so it may be next week, but this little "arc" is almost over. But before it is, because it's me, there's going to be some action! Until next time!**


	31. Confrontation

**~A/N: I know a lot of you are looking forward to more action, and as I look back on these past couple of chapters, I definitely can see why. They were definitely not my best (partially due to time constraints, partially due to just general plot stuff) but hopefully I'm back with more of the action/adventure type writing that I know I enjoy most. Ideally, I would have been able to post twice a week, so the less actiony chapters wouldn't have had to take so long, but I promise ****there's plenty of action from here on out! **

**Thirty-One: Confrontation**

Sakura found a place to stand near the back, by recruits she didn't know. She hoped they wouldn't know her either, and therefore be suspicious that she wasn't standing with her friends or the other medical officers.

They ended up having to wait another fifteen minutes before Kaoru and the rest of the commanding officers arrived. From the direction they came from, Sakura guessed that they had probably been meeting in the command tent. She hoped they'd met there, because it would make her mission a whole lot easier. Kaoru's tent was on the other side of camp, completely away from the gathering, so it would make stealing the battle plans even easier.

Sakura tried to listen to what the officers were saying, but no one particularly important was talking, and she just couldn't bring herself to care. Her mind was far away, on more important things.

Satisfied that she had waited long enough, Sakura quietly slipped out the back, silently enough that not even the recruits standing next to her had noticed she'd left.

Luck, it seemed, was on her side, because the man standing guard was one she had treated numerous times before, and she knew for a fact that he liked her. He had also been on guard duty a few times when she had snuck out to see Kakashi, and she always made a point to talk with him. It seemed like all of her efforts at being nice were about to pay off.

"Hey Ichiro," she said quietly, walking toward the man with a smile on her face.

"Kaiya? What is it? The ceremony is still going on."

"I know, but one of the recruits has gotten really sick, and I need to go get some supplies from the medical tent."

Sakura tried to make her voice sound tired and annoyed, and it seems it worked, because Ichiro nodded sympathetically.

"Something going around?"

"I'm afraid so," she lied. "I just hope it wasn't in the food. That could pose a real mess for everyone."

"Yeah, that would be bad, especially considering how things are sure to heat up around here now."

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. Well, I better go get those supplies. Hopefully this will be a fluke, and I won't have to treat the entire camp for a stomach bug. There's no way I'd have enough supplies for that."

"Sure. And good luck, Kaiya. I hope it doesn't end up being too much trouble for you."

"Thanks," she said, waving goodbye, and thanking her lucky stars that she had befriended such friendly people in enemy territory.

Sakura felt only a twinge of guilt at taking advantage of the man. She knew it was necessary for her mission, so she didn't regret it, but she did hope that he wouldn't get in trouble for it. After all, she felt like by this point, Kaiya Nagasawa had earned their trust, and he would be completely justified in believing her. She _was_ head medic.

Once she was out of sight, Sakura doubled back toward the command tent, which was in a direction different than her med tent. She moved stealthily around the assembly, conscious of her surroundings in case there were guards patrolling the area. She didn't think there would be, but it didn't hurt to be careful—especially when she was so close to completing her mission. The medic could have gone the long way around camp, but she was a shinobi, and stealth was one of her specialties. Besides, she didn't know if she had the time a trip around the entire camp while trying to avoid guards would take.

Because she was still being overly cautious, however, it took her nearly ten minutes to reach the command tent. Sakura didn't know how long the assembly was going to last. She assumed that it wouldn't be short—the three leaders were sure to speak individually, of that she was sure—but she knew she couldn't count on it being too long. The last thing she wanted was for all the elite soldiers to show up as she was making off with the battle plans. But as long as she stuck to her plan, Sakura was fairly confident she would succeed.

The first hitch in her plan came in the form of guards, stationed outside of Kaoru's tent. Sakura sighed; she should have known they wouldn't leave the command tent unguarded. She took it as a good sign, however. It meant the battle plans were probably inside.

The medic looked the guards over, analyzing their apparent strengths and weaknesses. There were two of them, and although neither man looked like a shinobi, they both looked like capable fighters. One looked particularly strong, and Sakura wondered if he could use chakra.

She racked her brain, searching for a strategy that would let her slip past them without making any noise. She would just sneak up behind them and knock them out, but they were far enough away that Sakura didn't trust that she would be able to hit the second man before he could raise the alarm. There was one way she could think of, but the medic was hesitant to use it.

Her new genjutsu, if it worked, would allow her to knock them out without them ever knowing what happened. To them, it would seem like no time at all had passed, but it would give her enough time to sneak up behind each man.

The only problem with her plan was that the genjutsu wasn't perfected yet. And it was untested in combat situations, and Sakura wasn't sure she wanted its first test to come in the form of a highly dangerous, top-secret ANBU mission.

"Well, it's not like I've really got any other choice," she muttered to herself. "I've got to try it sometime."

Sakura crept forward into position, slightly behind and to the right of the two guards' position. Taking a deep breath and preparing herself for the worst, the medic closed her eyes, gathering her chakra like Kakashi had suggested the last time they had worked on it in their apartment.

They had been careful to make sure no one would notice they were shinobi, and so they refrained from training outdoors, but that didn't stop Sakura from putting a very skilled genjutsu up around their walls so they could have a few hours to themselves to train every now and then.

But that had been over a month ago, and Sakura's memory was a little rusty. She hoped she was doing it right.

When she was satisfied she had the proper amount of chakra, she opened her eyes and leaned forward, making the necessary hand signs.

"Warp!" she whispered, activating the genjutsu.

Neither man moved, instead remaining motionless in place, so Sakura took her opening, sneaking up behind the weaker man and knocking him unconscious with a well-placed blow to the back of the neck. He wouldn't suffer any permanent damage, besides maybe some soreness for a few days, but it would be awhile before he woke up again.

Sakura moved to the second man, already focusing on the entrance to the tent, when he surprised her by turning to face her.

"Wha—" he gasped, a confused look on his face.

Sakura fell back, startled that her genjutsu had been broken already. Had it been her concentration, or was the man really able to use chakra like she had wondered?

Her question was answered quickly when the man pulled his arm back like he was going to punch her, bringing a small bit of chakra to his fist. It wasn't enough to cause Sakura much worry, but she still didn't waste any time in taking him down. She had to be a little rougher with him, but she hadn't killed him. He would probably be out a bit longer than his friend, though.

Sakura hesitated a second, waiting to see if anyone had heard the commotion and was coming to check it out. When no sounds were heard, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and slipped quietly into the tent.

Before entering the tent, the medic would have thought that Kaoru was probably organized, but she quickly found out that wasn't the case. Papers were strewn everywhere, and she wondered what had gone on during the leaders' meeting. She wondered if there had been a disagreement.

Sakura shook her head, clearing out any thoughts that weren't related to finding the information she was looking for. She only had a limited amount of time, and she wanted to find the plans as soon as possible. Her interaction with the guards was making her uneasy.

She started with the desk, knowing that would be where she would keep the plans if she were in Kaoru's position. She also knew her desk wouldn't be that cluttered, but she ignored the thought and went to work searching through the files, keeping an eye out for anything else that might be important as she did.

She came across a roster from some of the other camps spread throughout the Land of Silver and tucked it away in her pocket, knowing Lord Sasaki would probably find that interesting as well. She hoped he wouldn't use it in a way that would hurt the rebels' families, but as ANBU she couldn't be worried about things like that.

Finally, after what seemed like far to long in her mind, Sakura came across the document she was looking for.

"Aha," she said, grinning as she pulled the scroll out of the bottom drawer.

Sakura wanted to look them over—she was curious what the rebellion planned to do—but she knew she needed to make her escape. She'd wasted enough time searching, and she and Kakashi would have plenty of time to look through the documents as they made their way back to Konoha.

Sakura turned, hoping to make her escape as quickly and quietly as possible, but she stopped short as the tent flap was brushed aside, revealing a very startled-looking Kaoru Shiba.

To her surprise, the captain looked just as shocked as she did.

"It _was _you all along," he whispered, looking at her with wide eyes. "When I first saw you, I thought you looked so much like that kunoichi who worked with the Copy Ninja. It was those eyes. But I thought I was crazy. I convinced myself I was just seeing things, because I had been the one to catch Hatake. But it really was you."

"Surprise," Sakura said, using sarcasm to hide her own uneasiness, although she was glad that she had at least been able to successfully convince him that she was Kaiya Nagasawa.

Thankfully she had enough presence of mind to let her eyes drop back to the desk, as if she hadn't found what she was looking for yet. She wasn't sure if Kaoru believed her, but it was worth a try if it could buy her a few precious seconds to escape.

"It took you long enough. I never could quite tell if you were onto me or not. But I guess you weren't after all. The difference between a shinobi and a soldier, I suppose," she sneered.

Kaoru's eyes narrowed. "Yes, but now that I know it's you, I'm afraid I can't let you leave. And don't even think about calling for help. I assume Hatake is hiding around here somewhere. He doesn't strike me as the type to leave his subordinates in enemy territory alone."

She shook her head. "Ah, Kaoru. You've already made your first mistake."

"And what would that would be?"

Sakura smirked. "Assuming I'm Kakashi's subordinate, and that I need his help."


	32. Running Away

**~A/N: I'm back! And with fight scenes! There's some blood/gore in some of these upcoming chapters, just a heads up if you get queasy around stuff like that, but I don't think it's anything too bad. Still, this is only rated T so I thought I should probably mention something. I really don't think it's M-rated violence, but I've thought about upping the rating. Eh, we'll see. But you can blame SNK for the fight scenes. I was really in the mood haha.**

**Also, this is sort of in response to the guest review about the Kakashi/Sakura pairing. (Please don't think I'm singling you out or upset about the review, because I'm not at all, and you were very polite about it, but since it was a guest review I couldn't reply via PM) I also thought I should address it in case there was anyone else out there reading this that doesn't know. This is definitely a KakaSaku story. There will be romantic interaction between them. Just because I've spent time developing their interactions and the plot and it may have been a little slow doesn't mean it's not going to happen. However, I can see where someone might think that this story could be purely platonic, so I thought I'd give those people a heads up to jump ship now before the real KakaSaku stuff starts. I won't be offended. I know not everyone likes the romantic pairing, but that's what this story is going to be, so just a head's up. I don't mean to sound snarky or anything, I just wanted to make sure everyone is on the same page :D**

******Another side note- I will be out of town next weekend into the first few days of the week, so next week's chapter might be a little delayed. I'll probably be posting on a Wednesday instead.**

**SPOILER FOR ANYONE WHO HASN'T READ THE LATEST MANGA CHAPTERS! SKIP THIS NEXT SENTENCE IF YOU HAVEN'T AND DON'T WANT IT SPOILED!  
Kakashi's back! And he's going to go to the battlefield soon and see his Team 7 babies fighting together, and see Sasuke (AND MAYBE FINALLY HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH HIM BECAUSE THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN) and see Minato for the first time since he came back and UGH I CAN'T CONTROL MY FEELS. **

**Okay, spoilery fangirling over. Enjoy!**

**Thirty-Two: Running Away**

To be fair, Sakura would probably need Kakashi's help eventually. It would be all well and fine if she only had to fight Kaoru, but he was sure to call backup, and a hundred against one was never fair, even if she was a ninja. Still, she didn't want to risk calling more attention to her situation yet, so for the time being, she would hold out on contacting Kakashi.

Kaoru had given away the fact that he knew who she was, so Sakura didn't waste any time in attacking him. If he knew who Sakura Haruno was, then he'd know that she was the better fighter, and therefore would try to stall her until backup could arrive.

The blonde captain jumped back, seemingly well aware of the fact that one punch from her would hurt far worse than one from an ordinary soldier. He moved quickly, proving more agile than Sakura had thought, and soon the desk separated the two of them. Unfortunately, in her haste to catch him off-guard, the captain had been able to position himself between her and her exit. Sakura was torn between making a break for it and waiting him out. Kaoru seemed a little too calm for the odds he was facing, and she didn't want to escape only to find out he'd set up an ambush.

"You really had everyone here fooled, didn't you?" Kaoru asked, making eye contact with her before hastily looking down at the papers strewn about the desk.

_He's trying to see if I've taken anything. I need to make my move. _

"Or maybe you didn't. You Konoha shinobi have turned out to be more trouble than I thought you'd be. Maybe I should check out your little gang to see if they're imposters just like you."

"They had nothing to do with this," Sakura said, quickly and fiercely. She knew she shouldn't care, but she didn't want her friends to get in trouble because of her.

"Okay, maybe not. Maybe you did deceive everyone. Even your little friends, especially that poor Mitsuo kid. He really had his eye on you. Well, his eyes. If it were just one I'd be suspicious and think that Hatake was with you."

"I already told you, I can handle you without Kakashi's help," she snapped.

"Oh, I'm not stupid. I don't doubt you could," Kaoru said. "That's why I don't plan on fighting you alone."

As if on cue, a squad of ten men, led by Hideki, Kaoru's right-hand man, burst into the tent. Sakura spun, easily taking the first man out with a solid kick to the head. His neck bent back with a crack, and he dropped to the ground. The medic grimaced. She didn't particularly like killing opponents who were weaker than her, but if she had to choose between their lives and hers, she would choose hers every time.

"Damn it! She has the plans! Stop her at all costs!" Kaoru said, looking up from the bottom drawer. "Take her alive if you can, but do not under any circumstances let her get away with that information. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir!" his men chorused, and Sakura figured it was probably time to escape. She would send a signal out to Kakashi too, as soon as she was out in the open. He needed to be ready to fight when she reached him.

Lacing both her fists with an adequate, but not wasteful, amount of chakra, Sakura rushed toward the four men in the rear blocking her exit. She figured that Kaoru was probably the strongest of the bunch, so she might as well try not to fight him needlessly. Now she just needed an opening.

There. One of the men flanking Hideki shifted slightly—probably nerves—but it gave Sakura the perfect chance to knock him off-balance and out of the way. She kicked her right leg out behind her, easily launching the two others to the other edge of the tent. Which just left Hideki.

The dark-haired soldier's arm shot out, and Sakura bent backwards just in time to avoid taking a knife to the face. The small blade slid along the edge of her cheek, drawing blood, but not causing her much pain. The medic used her momentum to flip gracefully back. She took a second to reorient herself, then charged Hideki.

The man had some skill with the weapon, but it was clear that he would be no match for Sakura. The kunoichi easily dodged his thrusts, catching the arm holding the blade and easily breaking by just squeezing her inhumanly strong fingers. A chakra-enhanced fist to the gut sent him sprawling out the tent flap, Sakura quickly following.

Blood squirted from Hideki's mouth as her punch clearly did some damage to his internal organs, but Sakura didn't so much as flinch as some of the droplets landed on her face. She simply brushed them aside and kept moving forward.

She chanced a look back—to see if she was being followed as well as the result of her fight—and saw the remaining six men hurrying out of the tent after her. Four kept on her tail while Kaoru and one other—a man Sakura knew had a bit of medical training—stopped briefly at Hideki's side. Sakura knew what they would find, and apparently Kaoru did too after one look at his former second-in-command. The blonde fixed her with a glare, and she knew killing his friend probably wasn't the best way to get him to stop chasing her.

Turning back around and picking up the speed, Sakura darted toward the edge of camp—and toward the trees that would give her better cover. She knew if she could get to adverse conditions she would have the advantage, despite their superior numbers.

A kunai whizzed by her, not close enough to cause her worry, but not far enough away to let her relax either. She shifted slightly to the right, zigzagging back and forth to make herself a harder target to hit. None of the men were ninja, so she wasn't too worried, but it never hurt to be careful.

And speaking of careful…

Sakura pulled a scroll out of her back pocket, making the quick hand signs to release the jutsu. It was a message scroll Sai had developed, and he'd given each of the members of Team 7 one that would respond to their own chakra signatures. It only worked amongst themselves so far, but that was still better than nothing.

She put the blank scroll back in her pocket, the message she'd written Kakashi ahead of time already on its way to his matching one, and ran. The sooner she lost her pursuers the better.

* * *

Kakashi sighed, looking down at his _Icha Icha _book before finding his mind drifting again. He'd been on the same page for the past hour, but he had just been scanning the words, not really reading them.

He knew he shouldn't have gone ahead and packed up his camp the day before, but he'd been feeling restless then too, and he wanted to be prepared in case something happened and their plans changed. It was an old habit of his, one he'd learned from his previous days in ANBU. A small smirk came to his face as he remembered the day he'd come up with his "be prepared a day early" rule.

_He'd been on a mission with Yamato—Tenzo at the time—somewhere in the Land of Earth. He couldn't remember exactly where they were, or what they were doing, but he remembered Tenzo leaving to survey their target area once more before they were scheduled to return to Konoha the next day. _

_Being the laid back man that he was, Kakashi had been lounging in a tree, casually reading _IchaIcha_ when he heard sounds coming from the forest. He'd nearly fallen flat on his face when he saw Tenzo running toward him, eyes even wider than usual, yelling something incomprehensible. Kakashi strained to hear him, and he thought the brown-haired man was saying something about grabbing their things and running, but he couldn't be too sure. _

"_What?" he asked, casually dropping out of the tree. _

"_Run, you idiot! They're after us!" Tenzo yelled, grabbing his already-made pack and swinging it over his shoulder. _

"_But—" Kakashi protested, looking around at his gear strewn all around their camp. It was nothing incriminating that could hurt Konoha, but it was still his stuff and he didn't want to leave it. _

"_Never mind that, we've got to go _now_," Tenzo urged, grabbing the older man by the arm and dragging him out of the way just as the first barrage of shuriken hit. _

"_Aren't _I_ supposed to be the captain on this mission?" Kakashi grumbled as the two men fled deeper into Earth territory. The silver-haired shinobi was grumpy because he'd had to leave his favorite blue scarf behind. _

_Tenzo rolled his eyes, but when the two stopped in the next town to rest and get supplies, he went over to a street vendor and bought Kakashi a new scarf. _

"_Here," he said, tossing the red scarf over to his mission partner. "They didn't have blue." _

_Kakashi smiled, wrapping the new red scarf around his neck. "Thanks Tenzo." _

"_Yeah, just don't think I'm going to make a habit of buying you things." _

Kakashi grinned, thinking he'd have to pull that scarf back out now that he was taking ANBU missions again. Maybe he'd tease Yamato about how he was still getting him to pay for his things, but he didn't want to risk the brunette stopping. Kakashi quite liked it when his meals were always taken care of.

He leaned back, wondering how the rest of his teammates were doing on their mission. They were probably bored. He hadn't heard of anything happening while he and Sakura had been away. The silver-haired jonin knew Sasuke, at least, would be getting restless. The boy got antsy when he was away from Konoha too long—probably a side effect from his years as a rouge ninja. Also, without Sakura, they were probably starting to drive each other a little crazy. Kakashi grinned. He'd lucked out, getting to have her on the long mission.

Briefly, his mind wandered back to their parting the day before. He knew she still worried about what he thought of her skills, so he'd tried to assure her that he didn't think she was weak. He just worried a lot.

But then there was the hug. Kakashi tried to reason with himself, to say that it was the same reaction any teammate would have, but for some reason he could tell he was just lying to himself. He wouldn't have given Sasuke a hug, or Sai. Maybe Naruto, but that boy was touchy to begin with.

He was just closer with Sakura, now that they'd been partners in ANBU and essentially lived together. That was all. And he'd only hugged her because she was a girl, and girls liked hugging.

That was what the Copy Ninja managed to convince himself of when he felt something stir in his pocket.

"Hm?" he said, reaching down and pulling out his scroll. It was the one Sai had given him. It must be a message from Sakura.

_Got the plans. Being pursued. Will head to your location, be ready to move. –S_

Kakashi quickly folded the scroll up and stuck it back in his pocket. Next he grabbed both his pack and Sakura's, slung both over his shoulder and headed off in the direction he knew she'd be coming from.

A little backup never hurt.

* * *

It wasn't long before Kaoru was the only one able to keep up with Sakura's pace, and to be honest, she was surprised even he had made it that far. He would've made a heck of a shinobi if he'd been able to have any training.

She glanced behind her, dismayed to find that while he looked like the pace was difficult for him, he wasn't going to be collapsing from exhaustion anytime soon. The captain pulled a shuriken out of a side pouch and launched the weapon at her. Sakura dodged to the right, and the shuriken passed right by where she had been standing. If she hadn't moved, Kaoru would have been spot-on with his aim.

"Troublesome," she muttered, channeling her inner Shikamaru and trying to think up an easy way to lose him. The trees were thick, so she couldn't run any faster or she'd risk losing her way or embarrassingly running into one and injuring herself.

She sensed another object behind her and flipped out of the way as a kunai whizzed by her.

"Damn it," she hissed, cursing Kaoru's apparent skill with projectile weaponry.

Unfortunately, she lost control over her movements as she flipped, and she wasn't able to bring her body down and out of the way fast enough to avoid the shuriken she saw hurtling toward her. Rugged blades ripped into her side, slicing skin and sending a spray of red down to the ground.

Sakura fell, unable to catch the next branch. She hit the ground and rolled, yanking the shuriken from her side as she did. The medic gritted her teeth as the weapon ripped through more skin when she removed it. It was one of those double-edged blades that caused more damage upon removal, she realized.

Kaoru landed a few feet away from her, but made no move to get nearer. He knew his limitations, and even wounded, the kunoichi in front of him would still be able to defeat him. Still, he had wounded her, and as long as he could stall her long enough for backup to arrive, he would have the advantage.

"Shit," Sakura said under her breath. She gripped the shuriken—her only weapon—in one hand, while allowing the other to rest over her wound. It wasn't life-threatening, but left unhealed it would hamper her movement significantly. Kaoru was a sharp one. He knew how to stall her without having to fight one-on-one.

"Sakura!"

The medic looked up, startled at the voice coming from the trees.

"Kakashi?"

"Are you alright?" he asked, instantly moving to stand in front of her, giving her cover so she could heal herself.

"Yeah. It's not that bad," she said, focusing her attention on stitching her skin back together. There was a bit of internal damage she would need to heal later, but it wasn't severe and could wait until they were safe. It wasn't worth wasting chakra on at the moment.

"We meet again, Hatake," Kaoru said, narrowing his eyes at the silver-haired ninja's appearance. That was something he hadn't been expecting.

"Kaoru," Kakashi acknowledged, narrowing his eyes as well. "Still around I see?"

The blonde laughed. "Oh of course. As I'm sure you can imagine, there was a great promotion waiting for the main who almost captured the great Copy Ninja."

"I'm glad to know I helped you up the career ladder," Kakashi said, glancing back at Sakura to see if she was finished healing herself yet. Seeing that she wasn't, he turned back to the blonde. "Hideki still tagging along with you?"

"He was, until your kunoichi over there killed him."

Sakura grimaced, remembering the snap of the man's neck and the look in his lifeless eyes as she fled the tent.

"Ah," Kakashi said emotionlessly. "And I suppose you plan to defeat us?"

"Of course."

"I'm not sure how you plan to do that. We outnumber and outrank you. You'd be wise to just stand down, Kaoru. Live another day."

"Ah, I see, worried about me after all, eh Hatake?"

Kakashi shrugged. "It was just a suggestion. I'll kill you if I have to, but I don't enjoy destroying those weaker than me. Especially when we outnumber them."

Kaoru smirked. "Well, then let your fears be appeased."

Kakashi swore, turning to Sakura as somewhere around ten men came crashing through the trees.

"Move!" he yelled, grabbing her and shoving her out of the way of a barrage of kunai.

One grazed her injured side, but Kakashi took the majority of the hits. He grunted in pain, dropping down to all fours next to Sakura.

"Shit," he said, reaching behind him to pull the weapons out of his back.

"You idiot!" Sakura said, but she let it go. There would be time to yell at him later. Now she had to concentrate on making sure they were safe.

Five men ran at them, and just as Sakura prepared to attack, they were swept into a small black hole.

"Kakashi!" she hissed, recognizing the black hole as Kamui. "What are you doing?"

"I'll…be fine," he panted, giving her a smile before closing his eyes and collapsing to the floor. His head hit the ground, and Sakura knew he had used too much chakra.

"Idiot," she grumbled again, moving to stand in front of him as the remaining men—including Kaoru—charged.


	33. Choices

**Thirty-Three: Choices**

Sakura threw the kunai she was holding, easily downing the first two men. Three more charged at her, and while they were more trouble than the others, the kunoichi still had no problem snapping their bones with a few chakra-enhanced taijutsu moves.

Soon all ten men were down—either unconscious or dead, Sakura didn't know—and it was just her and Kaoru. Again.

"I take it you won't listen to Kakashi's advice?" Sakura asked, although she didn't know why Kakashi would give an enemy as skilled as Kaoru the chance to escape.

"No," Kaoru said hesitantly, looking behind him and betraying the fact that more reinforcements were likely coming. Sakura knew she needed to end the fight quickly, lest someone like Kenji Mizushima show up and decide to fight. There was no way she would be able to take him on and protect Kakashi at the same time. If only she had a chance to heal him, but she knew Kaoru would never give her that time.

"Then I don't have another choice," she said, charging him at full speed.

The captain pulled out a short sword, but he was no match for Sakura's speed and strength. Like in her fight against Hideki, she easily dodged the jabs and thrusts sent her way, and blocked the ones she couldn't dodge. The blade cut into the skin on her fingers, wetting her hands with crimson blood, but Sakura didn't feel the pain.

Once she got close enough, she leaned back, putting all her strength into one punch that sent Kaoru backwards. He skidded across the ground, his head pounding awkwardly against the terrain. His eyes glazed over before shutting, but Sakura couldn't be sure he was dead.

"Captain!" a cry of voices called out, and Sakura knew she didn't have time to check.

"Damn it," she said, grabbing the unconscious Kakashi and hoisting him over her back before taking off into the trees. Thankfully, Kakashi was lean, so she didn't have any trouble carrying him, although the extra weight did slow her down a bit.

"Sa..kra," he groaned, his one normal eye opening slightly to look at her.

"Kakashi!"

"Wha…happened?"

His voice sounded sluggish, and the medic in her knew he was fighting to keep conscious. Based on the way his head had hit the ground, she guessed he probably had a concussion, as well as some major blood loss.

"I took care of everything. It's alright," she soothed. "Kakashi, I need you to stay awake, okay?"

"Mm."

"Kakashi! I'm serious. Hey! Stay with me. Damn it! You idiot. If you die from hitting your head that would be the lamest way for a ninja to go out! Do you hear me?"

The silver-haired man on her back let out what she assumed was a chuckle, and she had to restrain herself from slapping him.

"What?" she snapped, irritated by his apparent amusement.

"Nothin…Would just be…ironic."

"What?" she prompted, but he didn't elaborate. "Whatever. Are you still with me? Kakashi? Hey, I've been meaning to ask you. What's your favorite season? I can guess everyone else in Team Seven's but I can't figure out yours."

Sakura didn't know why she was thinking of that again after all these months, but she was still curious about her team captain, and it bothered her that she couldn't guess his.

"I don't know," he said airily, already beginning to fade back into unconsciousness. "I dislike them all equally I guess."

She snorted. A typical Kakashi answer. "Of course you do."

He was silent, and Sakura wondered if he'd gone to sleep. "Kakashi? Damn it. Kakashi?"

No answer. Cursing, she stopped behind a large tree and dropped her injured team leader gently to the ground. She would have to risk healing him up, at least a little, and hope that no one found them. If they did, she would have to fight, and she would show no mercy.

Her chakra reserves were running a bit low, but Sakura managed to pour all her remaining strength into healing Kakashi. His face contorted in pain a few times, but she was pleased to note that the wounds on his back seemed to heal completely without too much work.

She sat back, leaning against the tree for a few moments to catch her breath.

"_Kaiya?" _

Sakura froze, hearing the sound of the one voice she didn't want to hear again.

"Mitsuo," she whispered, whipping around to face the man who had been like a brother to her these past months—and, if Kaoru's words were any indication, maybe something a little more, at least on his part.

"It's not Kaiya," she said, unable to meet his gaze. "It's Sakura."

Mitsuo had obviously known, but that didn't stop the shock and betrayal from flashing across his face.

"I'm going to have to order you to stop here and come back with me," he said, drawing a kunai from the pouch at his waist.

Sakura shook her head. "I can't do that. I never meant you guys any harm. Please believe that, Mitsuo. You guys were great friends, and I wish we'd met under different circumstances."

"How can I believe a word that comes out of your lying, traitorous mouth?" he spat.

The hurt was etched in his face, and Sakura couldn't bring herself to lie to him, even if she thought it would help her escape.

"You can't. But I _am _telling the truth. I never wanted to hurt any of you. You and Takara were the first people to care for me when I came here, and I know you won't believe me, but it did mean a lot. So please, if you just let me go, I won't have to hurt anyone else. Please, Mitsuo."

"How can I? You betrayed us!"

"I was just doing my job."

Mitsuo fingered the shuriken, gripping it tighter. "And by stopping you, I'm doing mine."

He brought his weapon to a battle-ready position, and Sakura noticed right away that he was aiming for Kakashi, not her.

"Don't," she warned, gripping a kunai of her own. "Don't Mitsuo. I'm stronger than you by far. Don't make me kill you, because if you even think about touching him, that's exactly what I'll have to do."

Mitsuo didn't listen, blinded by her betrayal. Instead he jerked his arm back, preparing to launch the shuriken at Kakashi. Sakura didn't think, her body acting purely on instinct as she grabbed Kakashi, moving him out of the way while she twisted to throw the kunai at Mitsuo.

Her aim was dead on, and the kunai found itself lodged perfectly in the center of his throat. Mitsuo gasped, staring at her with wide eyes before his body started seizing. She knew he was beginning to choke on his own blood, and all she could do was hope it ended quickly for him.

Sakura leaned against the tree, clutching her now completely reopened wound. Tears stung her eyes, but it wasn't from the physical pain—although that was almost unbearable as well.

Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, two more recognizable figures appeared beside Mitsuo just as the blonde took his last strained breath.

"Mitsuo!" Akio exclaimed, while his cousin dropped to their fallen friend's side, searching for a pulse Sakura knew he wouldn't find.

Realizing their friend was dead, the two dark-haired boys turned to Sakura, who looked back at them with a broken expression.

"I…I had to," she said shakily. "I had to do it. If I hadn't…if I hadn't killed him, he would've killed Kakashi. I didn't have a choice."

The cousins looked at each other, clearly confused at her babbling.

"Don't follow me," Sakura warned, regaining some of her composure. "I don't want to have to kill you too."

She dropped to her knees, coughing as blood dripped out of her own mouth. The medic knew she wasn't really in any position to back up her threat, but she had to hope that the boys would believe her.

Sakura heard a sound behind her, and she realized that Kakashi must have woken up. The silver-haired shinobi sat up, quickly taking in his surroundings and realizing what must have occurred while he was unconscious. He moved quietly to stand behind Sakura, silently warning the two enemies in front of him that they would have to go through him if they wanted to get to her. It didn't matter that he recognized them from their days in Gintown. They were his enemy now.

Realizing Kakashi was backing her up, the cousins backed down, moving away from Sakura and toward the body of their friend. Akira picked it up, hoisting it over his shoulders, before turning to leave.

"Let's go."

He moved without a second glance at Sakura, but Akio hesitated.

"Akio," Sakura said hesitantly. Her voice sounded so broken, even to herself.

The dark-haired kid paused, turning around to face the girl he thought was his friend.

"I know Takara won't forgive me, but for what it's worth, I know I'll regret killing Mitsuo for the rest of my life."

Akio didn't say anything, standing still for a few seconds before taking off after his cousin, but Sakura hadn't expected him to. It was enough that he'd listened to her. That was more than someone in her position could have asked for.

"Sakura," Kakashi said, kneeling down in front of her after he made sure both boys were long gone.

"I didn't want to," she sobbed, the tears dripping from her face and drenching her shirt. "I told him to run, but he wouldn't listen. I—I didn't have another choice. He wasn't going to let me go. I had to. He was going to—he would have killed you if I didn't—"

She stopped babbling as she found her face shoved into a warm, safe chest. Kakashi's arms wrapped around her, and one hand worked its way up into her hair, threading its fingers gently through the fading auburn locks.

"Shh. It's okay, Sakura. Just let it all out. Everything will be okay."

She let go then, the tears falling even harder. Kakashi could feel them even through his thick ANBU gear. He sighed, knowing all he could do was continue to hold her until she was able to pull herself together again.

This was the reason he had been so hesitant to support her decision to join ANBU in the first place. Sometimes the mission and the safety of your teammates depended on you killing someone you'd been forced to spend a lot of time with on the mission, maybe even come to like and consider a friend.

Kakashi had always thought Sakura's heart was too big for those types of jobs. And if it had been up to him, she never would have had to take one.

"I'm sorry," Sakura said, her voice muffled against his chest. "You probably think I'm just being a baby."

"No," Kakashi said swiftly, pulling away and forcing her to look at him. "Don't ever think that, Sakura."

She laughed sadly. "But it should be so simple. He was my enemy. What ninja cries after killing an enemy?"

"You of all people should know that it's never that simple," he said softly. He was looking at her, but his mismatched eyes were far away.

She sniffed, taking a composing breath and rubbing her eyes. The sound brought Kakashi back, and he reached out to put his hand on her shoulder again.

"The first one is always the hardest," he said.

"I bet you didn't cry on your captain's shoulder the first time you had to kill someone you didn't want to."

"I'm not like you," was all he said, but it didn't sound harsh. If anything, Sakura thought he sounded sad.

"There's nothing wrong with being upset over the situation you were forced into," Kakashi said. "But what you did wasn't wrong either. That's the hard thing about missions like these. It's not like being out in the field in a Konoha uniform, where everything is black and white. Here there are shades of grey, and you have to be able to make decisions on your feet. There's no right or wrong answer. You just have to listen to your gut and learn to live with whatever choice you made."

She nodded, looking away and wiping her eyes again. Kakashi wasn't sure what made him do it, but he reached out to cup her face in his other hand, unable to stand the sight of her in pain. Sakura looked up at him, confusion swirling in her emerald eyes for half a second before she closed them. One of her hands subconsciously reached up to lay on top of the one on her shoulder before she leaned into Kakashi's hand, a peaceful expression on her face.

They stayed like that for a few moments longer before Sakura sighed, opening her eyes and breaking away.

"We should probably get moving again," she said. "We've stayed here too long."

Kakashi nodded, standing up and offering Sakura a hand. She swayed slightly, obviously using too much of her chakra on him—_again. _Kakashi hated when she did that, sacrificing her own strength to heal him to completion. She couldn't stand to see any of her patients in pain, but didn't she know he felt the same way about her?

"Stupid girl," he whispered to himself, lifting her easily and swinging her onto his back. She let out an annoyed sigh, but her arms and legs wrapped around him securely, and she let her head lean on his shoulder.

Kakashi smiled, even though she couldn't see it under the mask. He would take annoyed and tired. Annoyed and tired was fine, as long as they were both alive.


	34. Reunion

**Thirty-Four: Reunion**

"I see why you're so particular about who you let on ANBU missions with you," Sakura said later as they stopped to rest. Kakashi was bent down next to her, cleaning the dirt and grime away from the wound on her side so it wouldn't get infected. She had her medical ninjutsu, but sometimes it was easier to do things the old fashioned way.

"Oh?" he said, giving her a quick glance before resuming his work.

"Yeah, it's because you always knock yourself out and need your partner to protect you. I bet you think it's embarrassing, being the great Copy Ninja and all."

"This is the thanks I get?" he grumbled. "I should've let those kunai hit you."

"Yeah, but then the rest of Team Seven probably would have killed you. I hear attacks from the Kyuubi can be pretty painful."

"You know, generally you're supposed to be nice to the person taking care of your wounds."

"Hm, I guess my sensei never taught me that one."

Kakashi gave her a look, which only caused the kunoichi's smirk to widen.

"Remember, Kyuubi attacks."

"You're lucky you're injured," he grumbled, but Sakura could still hear the laughter in his voice.

Truthfully, he was glad that Sakura's mood seemed to be all right now. When he had regained consciousness after her fight, she had seemed exhausted and a bit unstable, and she'd fallen asleep due to chakra exhaustion almost immediately when he'd carried her. Kakashi regretted the fact that she'd had to kill one of her friends to protect him, but he was also proud at the way she handled herself.

He sighed. Sakura wasn't the little girl of Team Seven any longer. He knew that for sure.

"There," the Copy Ninja said, securing the bandage around her middle and leaning back.

"Thanks," she said, checking over his handiwork quickly to make sure he hadn't missed anything. "Guess we'd better get moving again."

"We can wait a little longer. I sent Pakkun back to Konoha with the information for Lady Tsunade, and the rest of the pack confirmed that Kaoru's men have lost our trail. Using your genjutsu was a good idea, even if it was reckless."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "We didn't have any other options. Besides, I wanted to see if it would work on an area instead of a person."

"Well, it seems like you have your answer. Bull said the men who were trapped in it stood there for a few minutes before they realized they weren't going anywhere."

The medic grinned. "I think I'm starting to get the hang of this jutsu. That stuff you told me about switching up the hand signs really helped."

"Good," Kakashi said, "I thought it might."

They came to a natural lull in their conversation, and Sakura found herself drifting off slowly to sleep. Their pursuers had stopped following them, the ninken were guarding the perimeter, and Kakashi was with her. She felt as secure as she was ever going to be on an S-ranked mission.

"Kakashi," she mumbled as her eyes fluttered shut. "I'm glad you're here."

"Hm?" he asked, looking up from the book he'd pulled out and over to his teammate, but she was already asleep.

* * *

Tsunade sighed, looking through yet another budget report. Peaceful times were great for the happiness of the village, but it wasn't great for their wallets. As much as she didn't like the Land of Silver mission, it paid well—which is what she kept telling herself when she had the misfortune of having to read a mission report written by Sasuke Uchiha.

The Hokage groaned, pushing aside a stack of papers so she could lay her head on the desk. She cursed the fact that Shizune had to take a weekend off right when the influx of boring paperwork was coming in. Tsunade could think of many other things she'd rather be doing.

"Hey!"

She raised an eyebrow. Talk about timing...

"What is it Jiraiya? Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Oh, you'll want to take a look at this. Look who's back!"

"Yo."

"Pakkun?" Tsunade asked, startled by the sudden appearance of a small dog on her desk.

"Yeah, it's me."

"This must mean the mission has been completed?" Tsunade knew all of Kakashi's ninken were trained well, but she also knew Pakkun had a close bond with his master, and would probably not be so calm if he or Sakura were still in any sort of danger.

"Yeah. Kakashi wanted me to give you this, and to tell you that he'll wait for your orders."

The blonde took the scroll from the pug's side pocket and started scanning its contents. She felt a presence behind her, and a shadow fell across her desk as Jiraiya leaned down to read over her shoulder.

"Hm," the white-haired man said, leaning back after he'd finished. "That's interesting."

"What do you think?"

"I don't know," Jiraiya said, "but I think there's more to this mission than we've been told."

"I was thinking the same thing." Tsunade frowned, rubbing her temples and wishing Jiraiya had been useful enough to bring some alcohol back with him.

"What do you want me to tell Kakashi?" Pakkun asked, clearly anxious to get back to his master.

"Tell him and Sakura to head to Silver City. They will back up Team Seven until we have more information."

"Right, thanks," Pakkun said, before disappearing with a poof, much like his master.

"I take it that 'more information' means I've got a mission," Jiraiya said, rubbing Tsunade's stiff back muscles.

"Unfortunately," she grumbled, before letting out a relieved sigh as he workout out a particularly troublesome knot. "Ah, but it can wait a little longer."

Jiraiya smiled. "That's what I like to hear."

* * *

"Man!" Naruto said, throwing his arms up in the air and kicking a pebble across the street. "I'm so bored. I wish someone would just attack already."

"Careful what you wish for, idiot," Sasuke muttered.

"I have to agree with Naruto. I think even I am starting to feel a bit bored," Sai said from the blonde's other side.

"Well, hopefully Sakura and Kakashi-sensei will finish up whatever it is they're doing and get back here so we can leave," the jinchuriki said.

Yamato, trailing behind the three, sighed. "I wish, but things have changed since we first got here. You know it won't be that easy to just leave now."

"Hn," Sasuke said, a frown forming on his face as he remembered what Lord Sasaki had confessed to him and Yamato the day before.

"Yeah, but at least we'd have Sakura back," Naruto whined. "I miss her."

"Hey now, what about me?"

The blonde fell back, letting out a startled yelp as a silver-haired shinobi appeared in front of him.

"Kakashi?" Yamato exclaimed, equally surprised by the older ninja's appearance.

"Yo."

Having recovered from his scare, Naruto jumped back on his feet and pointed an accusing finger at his former sensei.

"Hey! What's the big idea sneaking up on me like that, Kakashi-sensei!"

"You're the one who was saying you didn't miss me. I was feeling offended."

"I never said I didn't miss you, I just said I was missing Sakura," the blonde jinchuriki grumbled.

Kakashi shrugged. "Same thing."

"Are you causing problems already?" another voice said, and soon after Sakura appeared around the corner, pink hair dripping wet and her hands on her hips.

"Naruto started it," Kakashi said, and if the rest of his team didn't know better, they would have thought he was _whining. _But it was Kakashi, so they knew they had to be imagining it.

"Grown men shouldn't be playing the blame game, you know," Sakura said, causing Yamato to snicker at his former ANBU captain.

"Sakura! You're back!" Naruto said, launching himself at the pink-haired girl.

"Naruto," she laughed, glad that her freakish strength saved her from toppling over.

"Ew, why's your hair all wet?"

"Because I just washed the dye out of it. Hey Sai, Sasuke," she said, nodding to the two black-haired boys who had come up beside her.

"Hello."

"Hn."

Sakura rolled her eyes. Those two never changed.

"So I take it everything went well and you found what you were looking for?" Yamato asked, going to stand beside Kakashi.

The silver-haired jonin nodded. "Yeah, Sakura was able to infiltrate their camp and find out the identity of the mystery leader and steal some of their battle plans."

"Nice, Sakura!" Naruto said. Even Sasuke and Sai looked impressed.

"Thanks guys," she said, brushing a strand of damp hair behind her ear. "But really, it was nothing."

"It wasn't nothing," Kakashi said. "You should be proud of your achievements. You did very well, Sakura."

She blushed, unaccustomed to being the one on her team to get all the praise and attention.

Yamato put a hand on her shoulder, looking down at her with a smile that said he understood, and that he was proud of her too.

"So who's the guy behind all this then?" Sasuke asked.

"Shinji Juba," Kakashi said.

"The merchant?" Yamato asked, surprised to hear a name that didn't belong to a shinobi or military man.

Kakashi nodded.

"Hn."

"Who's Shinji Juba?" Naruto asked, oblivious as always. Sai, at least, had the Foundation as an excuse for his general lack of obvious, cultural knowledge.

"He's a really wealthy merchant from the Land of Silver," Sakura explained. "But he sells his stuff to all of the Five Great Nations, and probably lots of other places too."

"Oh. So why's he leading this army…or rebellion…thing?"

"I don't know," Kakashi said honestly. "It doesn't make much sense."

"Actually it does," Sasuke said. "It seems Lord Sasaki decided to leave out one important fact when he hired us to do this mission. He's planning on uniting the Land of Silver under one ruler, which, of course, would be him."

Team Seven let out a collective sigh, lamenting the fact that they had always gotten the lying clients—ever since their first real mission to the Land of Waves.

"You know," Kakashi said, turning toward the dark-haired Uchiha, "we never got any missions like this after you left the Leaf. Maybe you should have just stayed rogue."

"Hey!" Naruto said, clearly offended on his best friend's behalf, but Sasuke didn't seem that upset. The dark-haired shinobi knew his old sensei was just teasing him.

That didn't stop Sakura from smacking said sensei across the back of the head, though. "Watch it, Kakashi."

"Ow, Sakura. So mean," he whined, causing Yamato to laugh. Whatever problems those two may have had before their time in ANBU, they had certainly worked it out. And, he had to admit, it was nice to see his senpai being the one picked on for once.

"Well," the wood style user said, "you're both probably tired. Why don't we head back to our places so you two can get settled in and get some rest."

"That sounds good," Kakashi said, knowing Sakura was just as tired as he was. Maybe more—since she'd had to deal with all of their injuries. "Where are you staying?"

Naruto scoffed. "Apparently there wasn't housing for us in any 'convenient' locations, so Captain Yamato built us our own. Ooh, Sakura, you can stay with us! Captain Yamato built me, Sasuke, and Sai this awesome house! It's like a mansion, so there'll be room for you too, and it'll be just like a giant sleepover!"

"Okay loser, I think she gets the idea," Sasuke said, shoving his best friend lightly on the shoulder.

"Well, I guess this means I'll be staying with you," Kakashi said, turning to Yamato with his signature eye smile.

"No way!"

"Aw, come on. It'll be like ANBU all over again, _Tenzo_."

The brunette sighed. "I told you not to call me that. And you're not staying with me! You'll eat all my food like last time, and then somehow make me end up paying for it!"

"But Tenzo, you wouldn't make me sleep out on the street, would you? I could get frostbite and die."

"But the temperature is very warm," Sai pointed out unhelpfully. "How exactly could that cause frostbite?"

"He's just being a baby. Ignore him, Sai," Sakura grinned.

"But—"

"Quit whining. I'll just build you your own place. Jeez," Yamato sighed. "You're such a drama queen, senpai." Secretly, the brunette was glad Kakashi had eventually been able to open up to them enough to joke around. He'd gotten to see a bit of this side of Kakashi when they were in ANBU, but it had been rare.

"Oh," Kakashi said. "Well let's get going then."

Sasuke groaned, and Naruto said something that sounded suspiciously like 'idiot-sensei,' but Sakura just smiled. She had missed her boys, and she was glad to be back.

Sai, oddly enough, seemed to be the only one to pick up on her mood.

"Welcome back, ugly," he said, giving her a perfect smile.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Why thank you Sai."

Across the town a yell could be heard.

"Shanaro!"

**~A/N: Hey guys! So firstly I wanted to apologize that I've been awful about replying to reviews lately. I've been so busy :( But I'm still reading and appreciating them, I swear! This is going to start the next part of the story, and while all of Team 7 is going to be around a bit, this is where I think the KakaSaku will start to really pick up. I need to really sit down and plot out what I'm going to do, because I've deviated from my initial plan a bit, seeing as this story has turned out to be way longer than I thought it would be up to this point. I know what the next big plot thing is going to be, but now I just get to have some fun with getting there. So that's a little preview of what's coming up ;) Also, hello and welcome to the new readers! It's nice to have you along!**


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